ALDO Led Me to AI: How One Career Move Changed Everything
Leap to consulting
The year was 2016, I had just made one of the most daunting and rewarding decisions of my life. I left a stable position to dive into consulting, a move that unexpectedly led me to ALDO. As it turns out, ALDO led me to AI.
After several years at the National Bank of Canada, I wanted to experience the unknown world of consulting. I’ll never forget my then-VP, Anne-Marie Roy’s, reaction. She simply said, “I understand why you want to make this move.” Great managers know when to let go, even when it’s hard.
Consulting meant risk and uncertainty, I was all in. My first contract? ALDO. What started as a six month gig turned into three rewarding years. Little did I know, ALDO wouldn’t just be a client, it would change the course of my career.
Becoming part of the ALDO family
Fast forward to 2019, I was getting contract offers and it was time for me to help other retailers, however, thanks to the persuasion of Matthieu Houle (now ALDO’s CIO) and Dominic D’Amata (now VP at CN Rail), I officially joined ALDO full time and quickly moved up the ranks. Within a short period of time, I was leading the digital technology team and had a front row seat to ALDO’s digital transformation. Part of my role was to stay on the edge of emerging tech, identify the tools that could improve customer experience and solve business problems, ultimately, to help sell more shoes. AI and ML weren’t new concepts. Some vendors were dabbling in it, but nothing felt as revolutionary as what we’re witnessing today. And soon, I felt that itch again, the need for my next big challenge.
The moment that changed everything
The big shift came when Fatih Nayebi, PhD joined ALDO as VP of Data and AI. I got to know him and although I understood and read about AI, I hadn’t explored it deeply.
Until one day when Fatih showed me a YouTube video: Multi-Agent Hide and Seek by OpenAI. It featured AI agents learning, adapting, and outsmarting each other… completely autonomously. I was hooked. This was before ChatGPT or the GenAI boom. But I knew I had to go deeper. One of the best learning tools I found was Machine Learning Guide podcast by OCDevel. It laid down the fundamentals of AI, models and frameworks in a way that made sense. On top of that, I had the privilege of one-on-one learning from Fatih, who also teaches at McGill University. These learnings became foundational when I later took on the role of leading ALDO’s AI initiatives—including one of Canada’s largest retail AI programs funded by SCALE.AI.
Then came November 2022. OpenAI dropped ChatGPT and the world changed overnight. AI was suddenly everywhere: in the news, at conferences, in boardrooms. It reminded me of the dot-com boom I had only read about. Except now, I wasn’t reading. I was in it!
What we call “AI “today Is where the internet was in the 90s: early, still messy, but about to become everything — Armen
Looking back, I can say with confidence: ALDO led me to AI. That single engagement shaped the way I now think about innovation and digital transformation.
Where I’m betting next
Agentic AI. These digital agents are designed to think, act and adapt on their own. They integrate into business workflows, automate tasks and unlock a new level of productivity and innovation. I believe they’ll reshape the future of work. That belief is why I started sharing my journey—first on LinkedIn, now on this blog.
Final thoughts: The power of curiosity
My goal is simple: make AI approachable and understandable. Be curious and ask questions, lean by listing to podcasts, reading blogs, articles and books. Dive in!
I’ve been lucky, surrounded by incredible mentors, peers and opportunities, but the words that have always stuck with me are from my father: “Be a leader. Chase your ambitions. Create your own luck and never give up.”
Here’s to curiosity and shaping the future—one bold, fearless step at a time.