The Journey of Alex
A story of resilience, curiosity, and relentless pursuit of excellence — built on ownership and courage in the face of mistakes.
Childhood & Roots
Born curious — always building, organizing, and pushing limits early on.
Learned the value of discipline and ownership from a young age.
Retail & Leadership
Over a decade leading operations for global fashion brands.
Built teams, systems, and culture around accountability and excellence.
Entrepreneurial Leap
Took bold risks — from virtual reality to entertainment centers.
Learned to lead through uncertainty and embrace mistakes as growth.
Today
Focused on creating meaningful experiences that connect people and inspire purpose.
Who I Am
I was born in Paris and spent my childhood in Istanbul, where I lived until I turned 18. Growing up between two cultures taught me early on to adapt, stay curious, and find my own rhythm in new environments.
I studied at the French Pierre Loti High School, a place that shaped both my discipline and curiosity. During those years, I also played competitive basketball, which taught me teamwork, persistence, and how to push through pressure — lessons that still influence the way I lead today.
At 18, I moved to Canada to start university and begin a new chapter. Halfway through my studies, I took a pause to follow an idea that I couldn’t ignore — a modern vending machine concept I had discovered in Montreal. I brought that idea back to Istanbul and launched Inovend, introducing next-generation vending machines in universities, malls, cinemas, and large companies.
The project started strong, but as operations grew, so did the challenges. I made mistakes, learned fast, and eventually had to close the company. It was a humbling moment — one that taught me more about resilience and self-awareness than any success ever could.
After that, I returned to Canada, finished my studies in 2014, and came out stronger, clearer, and more grounded. That experience shaped how I approach leadership, ownership, and risk today.
After finishing university in 2014, I returned to Istanbul and joined Zara through the Management Training Program, starting from the sales floor. For eight months I rotated through every department, learning operations, visuals, and customer flow firsthand. That experience grounded me in retail reality; every decision I make today still connects back to those early days on the floor.
Soon after, I became a store manager, taking charge of a D-volume location. Within a year, I was promoted to lead an A-volume flagship store. Managing high-traffic operations taught me how to balance pace, people, and precision while driving KPIs and keeping teams motivated and stores immaculate.
As Zara expanded into e-commerce, I joined the Turkey launch team as a product manager, helping to introduce Zara Turkey e-commerce to the market. I oversaw assortment planning, digital merchandising, and stock flow, aligning online and in-store dynamics. This led to a six-month assignment in La Coruña, Spain, where I worked at Inditex headquarters with the global e-commerce team to synchronize inventory, logistics, and product strategy across markets.
In 2018, I moved to Montreal, returning to the city where my Canadian story began, this time as head of retail for Inditex Canada. I led national retail operations, managing the Zara retail network across multiple regions.
My work focused on store image, visual standards, and operational compliance, HR development and training for department managers, detailed action plans to reach KPIs across regions, coaching regional and store managers to elevate leadership consistency, succession planning for future leaders, and leading new store openings.
Some of the key achievements included leading the opening of Zara Metrotown, one of the largest and most complex new stores in Canada, coordinating construction, staffing, and setup from start to finish. During the COVID period, I worked closely with the omnichannel division to align retail and online operations and helped launch self-checkout systems in selected flagship stores to improve customer flow and transaction time.
This chapter at Zara shaped how I view retail. It taught me that success depends not only on numbers but also on culture, clarity, and how teams perform under pressure.
In September 2022, I joined Rudsak as Vice President of Retail and Sales Operations. After years in large international organizations, I wanted to take on a new challenge: helping a Canadian brand grow its structure, people, and results while keeping its identity and spirit intact.
At Rudsak, I was responsible for the entire retail and commercial operation across Canada, covering retail, e-commerce, wholesale, and visual merchandising.
My work focused on strengthening retail fundamentals and accountability, building scalable operational systems to support growth, connecting the in-store experience with digital and omnichannel platforms, and improving data visibility to make faster and smarter decisions.
Some of the key achievements included a 22 percent year-over-year increase in overall sales through improved merchandising and team accountability, the rollout of Shopify POS across Canada, and the implementation of RFID technology in selected stores, reaching 99 percent inventory accuracy and improving stock visibility. I also introduced drop-shipping and marketplace integrations that grew online revenue by 15 percent, redesigned the customer journey to improve engagement and conversion rates, and created a new operational and training framework that brought consistency across the network.
I led Rudsak’s retail expansion into the United States with new stores in Roosevelt Field Mall in New York, Short Hills Mall in New Jersey, Woodbury Common Outlet in New York, and Chicago Fashion Outlet. At the same time, I guided the brand’s first steps into China’s digital ecosystem by launching Rudsak on Tmall, Little Red Book, and Douyin, expanding the brand’s international presence.
That same year, Rudsak was recognized as the Best Outerwear Brand of the Year at the 2023 CAFA Awards, a milestone that reflected both the strength of the brand and the collective effort of the entire retail, design, and operations teams.
My time at Rudsak allowed me to combine creativity with structure and to modernize the way the company approached retail. It confirmed what I have always believed: growth is not only about performance but about empowering people to think bigger, move faster, and take ownership.
Retail & Leadership
The Entrepreneurial Journey – FUNHUB
MontVR was founded in 2016 by two co-founders passionate about bringing virtual reality to Quebec. The concept started as one of the first VR-focused entertainment spaces in the province. In 2020, during the pandemic, the company evolved its model from a pure VR experience into a broader entertainment center by integrating arcade games, food, and a bar. That shift marked a turning point, with a strong lift in revenue and a clearer vision of creating an all-in-one experience for families and adults.
In 2024, during a business trip to Vancouver, I met the CEO and immediately connected with the leadership team. They were facing challenges in operations and scalability, so I joined the company first as a consultant and then full-time in October 2024 as a partner and Chief Operating Officer.
That is when we began building the next chapter, FUNHUB. The rebrand represented more than a name change; it was the transformation of MontVR into a complete entertainment ecosystem. FUNHUB became a destination where guests could enjoy not just virtual reality but also a high-end arcade, mini golf, a restaurant and bar, karaoke, axe throwing, and dedicated spaces for corporate and private events.
In December 2024, we opened FUNHUB Downtown Montreal, a 24,000-square-foot flagship in the heart of the city. It set a new standard for what a modern entertainment center could be. Shortly after, we expanded again with our newest Brossard DIX30 location, a 27,000-square-foot venue designed as a multi-sensory experience with a giant screen for game nights, a full bar and bistro, and versatile zones for team-building and themed events. Alongside our original Trois-Rivières site of 18,000 square feet, we now operate three major centers in Quebec, with a pipeline of new openings planned every quarter for the coming years.
Our vision is to redefine entertainment as an experience that connects people through play, food, music, and shared energy. We are building a brand that competes with large-scale family entertainment concepts like Dave & Buster’s or The Rec Room, but with a stronger focus on local culture, flexibility, and guest experience.
As COO and partner, my work focuses on guest experience, daily operations, and business development. I lead initiatives around corporate and group sales, oversee store openings, and develop new revenue channels to drive weekday engagement. This includes pool / darts leagues, latin nights, and game nights around the giant screen at DIX30.
We are a small team with big ambitions, constantly adapting to the needs of a growing business. Our goal is to reach fifty million dollars in annual revenue by 2028. More than numbers, this mission is about creating spaces where people connect, compete, and share moments they will remember.
This journey has taught me to manage both the macro and micro at once, to build structure while staying agile, and to lead with both vision and practicality. It has been the most dynamic and rewarding chapter of my career so far.
Let’s Connect
I’m always open to connecting with people who share a passion for building, leading, and creating meaningful experiences.