Saba Fazel - Lead AI Strategy & Governance Consultant

Q: Where is Saba based?

Saba is based in Düsseldorf, Germany .

Q: What languages does Saba speak?

Saba speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Native), Persian (Native) .

Q: How many years of experience does Saba have?

Saba has at least 4 years of experience. During this time, Saba has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 5 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 9 months . Note that Saba may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Saba's latest experience?

Saba's most recent position is Lead AI Strategy & Governance Consultant at Public Sector .

Q: What companies has Saba worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Saba has worked for Public Sector , Energy Provider , Global Automotive Manufacturer , and Global Software Provider .

Q: Which industries is Saba most experienced in?

Saba is most experienced in industries like Government and Administration , Automotive , and Banking and Finance . Saba also has some experience in Information Technology and Energy .

Q: Which business areas is Saba most experienced in?

Saba is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Strategy , and Project Management . Saba also has some experience in Audit , Legal , and Research and Development .

Q: What is Saba's education?

Saba holds a Master in Development Management from London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor in International Business from Maastricht University School of Business and Economics .

Q: Does Saba have any certificates?

Saba has 1 certificate : Project Management Professional (PMI PMP) .

Recommended expert

Düsseldorf, Germany

Check rate

Experience

May 2024 - Aug 2025

1 year 4 months

Lead AI Strategy & Governance Consultant

Public Sector

Operating Model Design: Designed and rolled out a 3-tier AI Governance Operating Model, defining organizational structures, roles, tooling, guidelines and processes across Corporate, Business Units, and Implementation layers to manage compliance for 200,000+ employees.
EU AI Act Compliance: Led the strategic screening and risk classification of 3,800+ AI applications, implementing automated assessments for prohibited practices and General Purpose AI (GPAI) requirements.
Enterprise Roll-out: Orchestrated the deployment of an internal GPT platform and Generative AI tools, defining the value proposition and adoption strategies for 10,000+ users.
AI Literacy Architecture: Designed a modular AI training framework to transition the workforce from legacy manual workflows to AI-assisted processes.
Executive Storylining: Developed strategic narratives for the CIO and Board to secure buy-in for AI investments, translating technical model performance into business-value summaries.
PMO Infrastructure: Built the end-to-end PMO infrastructure using Jira, Confluence, and Azure Boards to track transformation progress and cross-entity dependencies.

Dec 2023 - May 2024

6 months

MLOps Strategy & AI Product Consultant

Public Sector

Efficiency Blueprints: Defined MLOps blueprints for regulatory and internal requirements to reduce costs and ensure compliance-by-design within the development lifecycle.
Piloting & ROI Analysis: Evaluated pilot performance and authored quantitative business cases to validate a projected €20M cost reduction derived from PT efficiencies.
Strategic Advisory: Delivered C-level decision decks and gap analyses to determine product scalability and drive go/no-go investment roadmaps.
Adoption Acceleration: Drove an internal communication strategy for centralized MLOps that increased tool adoption by 130% within four months.

Oct 2023 - Dec 2023

3 months

Data Strategy & Analytics Portfolio Development

Energy Provider

Landscape Analysis: Conducted an outside-in gap analysis of the existing data landscape to define a strategic roadmap and governance structure.
Governance & Process Definition: Developed standardized processes and guidelines for GDPR compliance and data literacy to advance data governance maturity.
Operating Model Alignment: Defined requirements and target-state roles for the Data Office to position data products as strategic board-level assets.
Executive & Tooling Alignment: Translated operational requirements into executive-ready roadmaps and governance frameworks to scale data products.

Feb 2022 - Sep 2023

1 year 8 months

Data Privacy & Compliance Lead

Global Automotive Manufacturer

Privacy by Design: Directed the end-to-end implementation of Privacy by Design principles and Technical & Organizational Measures (TOMs), mapping practices to NIST and ISO 27001 standards to eliminate redundancies.
Standards Mapping: Defined TOMs based on ministerial regulatory input, reducing risks of non-compliance of assessments.
Governance Framework: Authored comprehensive guidelines and defined roles for TOM and Privacy by Design assessments.
Tooling: Spearheaded the technical implementation of assessment frameworks within OneTrust.
Training & Enablement: Delivered global training programs to increase data literacy and improve assessment accuracy and adoption group-wide.
ERM & Risk Management: Supported the Enterprise Risk Management line in managing GDPR risks, highlighting risks to leadership and introducing mitigation remediation.
Audit Readiness: Coordinated with internal stakeholders and auditors to ensure traceable workflows and audit-ready documentation.
C-Level Strategic Advisory: Prepared decision decks for the executive board and served as the primary liaison between stakeholders in IT, Legal, Leadership, and Business Units.

Sep 2021 - Feb 2022

6 months

SOX Compliance Specialist

Global Software Provider

Multi-Stream Management: Managed multiple project streams and diverse stakeholder groups to ensure global business and processes met Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements.
Process Narratives: Authored end-to-end process definitions for global demand-to-cash cycles, standardizing transparency across German and international business units.
Control Testing: Documented and tested internal controls to identify, flag, and report critical gaps within the Risk Control Matrix (RCM).
Project Governance: Utilized Microsoft Project for comprehensive project management, scheduling, and tracking of cross-functional compliance milestones.
C-Level Reporting: Authored gap analysis reports and presentations for C-level review, identifying process deficiencies and structuring clear remediation roadmaps.

Oct 2020 - Apr 2021

7 months

AI Research & Strategy Consultant

Intergovernmental Financial Institution

Project Leadership: Managed a team of 4 consultants across 5 countries, serving as the primary point of contact for communication with the project lead on the client side.
Strategic Reporting: Authored a comprehensive 65-page report and executive presentation for leadership, outlining key insights, strategic next steps, and expansion roadmaps.
AI Model Support: Analyzed data transparency and management frameworks across 10+ countries to support the development of an AI model designed to detect corrupt public tenders.
Assessment Index: Developed a documentation and assessment index to evaluate data availability and regulatory readiness for public procurement systems.

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Government and Administration, Automotive, Information Technology, and Banking and Finance.

Government and Administration

Automotive

Information Technology

Banking and Finance

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Information Technology, Strategy, Project Management, Audit, Legal, and Product Development.

Information Technology

Strategy

Project Management

Audit

Legal

Product Development

Summary

I am a seasoned consultant in AI strategy, governance, and data operations, focused on driving operational efficiency and regulatory compliance across diverse sectors. I have designed AI operating models, led EU AI Act compliance efforts, and developed strategic roadmaps that guide technology adoption and data governance.

I excel in creating scalable MLOps frameworks, building robust PMO infrastructures, and aligning executive perspectives with technical performance. My experience ranges from orchestrating generative AI tool rollouts to transforming legacy processes, enabling organizations to harness the full potential of emerging technologies.

Skills

Ms Office
Microsoft Project
Azure Boards
Jira
Confluence
Onetrust
Visio
Viflow

Languages

German

Native

English

Native

Persian

Native

Education

Sep 2020 - Sep 2021

London School of Economics and Political Science

Development Management, Applied Development Economics · Development Management · London, United Kingdom · Grade: Distinction (Honors)

Sep 2017 - Aug 2020

Maastricht University School of Business and Economics

International Business, Emerging Markets · International Business · Maastricht, Netherlands · Grade: 8.04/10, Cum Laude (Honors)

Certifications & licenses

Project Management Professional (PMI PMP)

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 6

Experience in Government and Administration 1.5 y

Avg length 9 m

Longest experience 1 y 7 m

Expertise

Recent roles Lead AI Strategy & Governance Consultant, MLOps Strategy & AI Product Consultant, Data Strategy & Analytics Portfolio Development

Main industries Government and Administration, Automotive, Information Technology

Main business areas Information Technology, Strategy, Project Management

Qualifications

Highest degree Master

Certifications earned 1

Profile

Created

May 2026

Last Update

May 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Saba based?

Saba is based in Düsseldorf, Germany.

What languages does Saba speak?

Saba speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Native), Persian (Native).

How many years of experience does Saba have?

Saba has at least 4 years of experience. During this time, Saba has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 5 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 9 months. Note that Saba may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Saba be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Saba would be well-suited for roles such as: Lead AI Strategy & Governance Consultant, MLOps Strategy & AI Product Consultant, Data Strategy & Analytics Portfolio Development.

What is Saba's latest experience?

Saba's most recent position is Lead AI Strategy & Governance Consultant at Public Sector.

What companies has Saba worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Saba has worked for Public Sector, Energy Provider, Global Automotive Manufacturer, and Global Software Provider.

Which industries is Saba most experienced in?

Saba is most experienced in industries like Government and Administration, Automotive, and Banking and Finance. Saba also has some experience in Information Technology and Energy.

Which business areas is Saba most experienced in?

Saba is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Strategy, and Project Management. Saba also has some experience in Audit, Legal, and Research and Development.

What is Saba's education?

Saba holds a Master in Development Management from London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor in International Business from Maastricht University School of Business and Economics.

Does Saba have any certificates?

Saba has 1 certificate: Project Management Professional (PMI PMP).

What is the availability of Saba?

Saba will be available full-time from May 2026.

What is the rate of Saba?

Saba's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.