Marms Hope — Execution & Operations Strategist
Marlené “Marms” Hope · Execution & Operations Strategist
You set the direction, and I will make it happen.
Twenty-four years in operations. From Girl Friday to COO, across advertising, finance, venture capital and recruitment, and founder of Marmalade. I'm the woman founders call when the vision has outgrown the bandwidth, and the plan has to become real.
Start a conversationDubai · Operating globally
Marlené aka (Marms) Hope
Execution & Operations Strategist
From the room where everything gets done to the seat where everything gets decided.
I started at eighteen as a girl Friday, the person who made everything work, studying at night while I did it. Over twenty-four years I worked my way up through marketing, advertising, finance, venture capital and recruitment to the COO seat. Different industries, same role the entire way, being the one who turns decisions into done.
Along the way I planned and ran eight international relocations of my own, across five countries. I have kept operations moving through every kind of pressure, in every kind of market, for every kind of leader.
Today I'm the founder of Marmalade., a Dubai-based execution agency trusted by 25+ founders, built on one premise - founders shouldn't be running their own operational infrastructure. Marms Hope is where founders work with me directly. One relationship, with no layers, and full authority.
Within 30 days, you will feel the difference, because you'll notice what you're no longer doing.
Strategy is the easy part.
Every founder I meet has a vision, and most have a plan. What stalls a business at six or seven figures is rarely the thinking. It is the gap between decision and done; the projects that route through the founder's inbox, the team nobody is directing, the year that gets planned in January and abandoned by March.
I have spent my entire career in that gap. I know what good looks like, I know the sequence things need to happen in, and I know how to build the machine that delivers without the founder in every loop.
I don't wait to be told, I don't need to be managed, I anticipate what needs to happen and make sure it does.
Who leans on me
Founders who've become the bottleneck.
- You're running a six or seven figure business, and still running its operations yourself.
- Every project moves at the speed of your inbox, because everything routes through you.
- You've tried a VA, maybe an ops hire, and ended up managing the person who was supposed to manage it.
If you're still running your own operations, you're undervaluing your time.
Ways to work with me
Choose your way in.
The COO Day
One day, one to one, in ultimate luxury in Dubai. We map your next quarter and year, hour by hour, and you leave with a complete, sequenced execution plan.
→ The COO DayUnfenced: The Series
Five days, one extraordinary place, a handful of founders per once-only edition. You arrive as the ceiling on your business, and you leave with a decision, a plan, and the first ninety days already in motion.
→ UnfencedMarmalade
My execution agency. The skilled and professional team behind founders who'd rather lead than do it all - admin, content, operations and launches, handled.
→ marmaladedubai.comPrivate engagements
For founders who need me embedded in the business itself. Bespoke, limited, and scoped in conversation.
What clients say
“The best investment I've made in my business.”
“Deep relief. They get what I need before I finish a sentence. Everything runs smoothly now and I'm more structured than ever.”
“They save me time, keep me accountable and support my rhythm week after week. The quality, speed and professionalism are next level.”
Questions
5 countries
24 years operations
25+ founders
How is this different from hiring a VA or an ops person?
A VA needs a task list, and is a generalist managed by you. An ops hire needs onboarding, management and a payroll line. I arrive already knowing what good looks like, with twenty-four years of judgement behind every call on what to do, in what order, and who should do it.
Which way in is right for me?
If your year needs a plan, start with The COO Day. If your business needs hands, start with Marmalade. If you're circling a decision bigger than a planning day, the retreat was built for it. If you're unsure, email me and I'll tell you honestly.
How do we start?
It starts with one email. We talk, and we scope what's eating your time, and I take it from there. No proposal decks or discovery theatre.
Where do you work?
Based in Dubai, operating globally, across time zones.