Strategy and advisory, Dubai

Strategy and advisory for brands in retail, wellness, longevity and sport.

Working with founders, investors and leadership teams on retainer and by project across the globe.

Carly Syms, founder of Symmetry Advisory, seated on a green velvet sofa

Worked for

lululemon
Bioniq
VAHA
Abadia

Carly Syms spent fifteen years at lululemon, where she created most of her own roles by identifying what the business needed next. That took her from running multi-million-dollar stores to building the membership program, and later to leading a North American strategy team. She has since built loyalty for the wellness brands Bioniq and VAHA and served as a COO in Dubai, where she founded Symmetry Advisory.

Selected work

Led special projects and operations across lululemon programs driving more than $1.6 billion in revenue
Worked with lululemon's Whitespace innovation team and researchers on how people learn, testing the findings in wellness and longevity offers for members
Built a loyalty program for a Series C wellness brand, from design through to a three-region pilot
Developed the structure for brand partnerships with major sports leagues, including the NHL, NBA and MLB
Created brand partnerships with the Four Seasons, Kimpton Grey and Joe & the Juice, establishing the model for large-scale hospitality partnerships
Consulted on the opening, optimisation and marketing strategy of lululemon's first experiential store, with a restaurant, workout studios and a meditation space

NHL ✦ NBA ✦ MLB ✦ NHLCA ✦ Chicago Blackhawks ✦ Nashville Predators ✦ Joe & the Juice Four Seasons ✦ Kimpton Grey ✦ Lollapalooza ✦ Native Magazine ✦ Oura

Services

Loyalty / Membership

Program design covering tiers, rewards and pricing, along with the economics behind them, including points liability and breakage, through to pilot and launch.

Longevity / Wellness

Commercial and member strategy for clinics, clubs and wellness brands, covering acquisition, retention and growth across locations.

Retail / Brand Strategy

Store, wholesale and brand strategy for consumer brands, including market launches, partnerships and community programs.

Sport / Partnerships

Sponsorship, fan membership and partnership strategy for clubs, leagues, events and the brands investing in sport.

Operations

Organisational design, KPIs, planning cycles, board reporting and AI adoption for founder-led businesses.

Ways to work together

Project

A defined piece of work, typically eight to twelve weeks

Retainer

Ongoing senior support for a set number of hours each month

Advisory

An experienced operator's view for founders, investors and boards