Design & Management
May 2026 · Riyadh, KSA

Abdullah
Abou Chakra

Digital & Design
Program Leader

Head of PMO at HUED, Saudi Arabia’s first service design and innovation consultancy. Engineer turned operations leader. Building the systems that turn creative studios into compounding institutions.

Years
7+
Languages
EN · AR · FR
Studio
Abdullah Abou Chakra
01 — Profile

Who is Abdullah.

I am a digital and design program leader who came to project management through engineering. Across seven years I have written code, managed UX and product teams, delivered large-scale digital platforms and customer experience labs for some of the Kingdom’s most consequential institutions, and now run the Project Management Office that holds HUED’s portfolio together. What runs through the work is one conviction: that the projects worth doing are the ones that create real impact for the people they touch.

01
Customer Experience & Innovation Labs
02
Service Design, Platform & Portal Design and Development
03
UX Research & Usability Testing
04
Hackathons & Innovation Programs
05
Project Management Office & Operations
02 — Aspirations

Projects are
delivery vehicles
for impact.

Over the course of my career, I have come to see projects and programs as delivery vehicles, not for plans or status, but for impact. The engines that drive that impact are not management charts or steering committees. They are design and development: the hands that shape the experience, and the hands that build it. Everything I aspire to do sits inside that conviction.

01
Lead design and innovation programs that create positive impact in society
Through products, platforms, services, and labs that genuinely serve the people they reach.
02
Treat every project as a delivery vehicle for impact
Never as an end in itself. The plan is the tool. The outcome is the point.
03
Establish and run Project Management Offices
That are automated, lean, and human at the same time, so creativity is supported rather than slowed.
04
Build Customer Experience and Innovation Labs
That give organisations a place to think, test, and decide before they build.
05
Bring engineering discipline to project and program management
Without losing the empathy that design demands.
06
Recruit and mentor the next generation of project leaders
So the discipline of delivering impact at scale becomes a local capability, not an imported one.
HUED · Currently

Head of
PMO

Jan 2025 — Present · 17+ months
Project Management Office
  • Establishing and operating the HUED Project Management Office
  • Building the HUED Project Management Playbook and Practice
  • Designing and operating the project management and reporting dashboards
  • Leading talent acquisition and onboarding for the PMO team
  • Owning vendor management across the portfolio
  • Managing HUED’s operations, resource utilisation, and budgeting
  • Preparing project financial performance reports for audit
  • Overseeing project invoicing and collection across the portfolio
  • Administering HUED’s ERP (Odoo) as the operational source of truth
Achievements
  • Established the HUED PMO as a fully operational function with policies, systems, dashboards, and a hired team
  • Built the HUED Project Management Playbook from first principles
  • Designed and launched the project management and reporting dashboards used by leadership today
  • Led delivery of large-scale service design programs across multiple government ministries
  • Led the establishment of innovation and customer experience labs for major Saudi institutions
  • Secured strategic government platform engagements through regulatory qualification leadership
  • Designed and built HUED’s new studio space, from space planning through fitout
  • Owned platform operations and vendor handoffs across multi-website portfolios
  • Recruited, onboarded, and mentored the HUED PMO team
HUED · Previously

Digital PM
Lead

Jan 2024 — Dec 2024 · 12 months
Key Responsibilities
  • Leading the digital and design project portfolio across HUED
  • Managing delivery across platforms, labs, and innovation programs
  • Supporting business development through qualification work and proposal contributions
  • Mentoring project managers and supporting their delivery
  • Owning vendor and partner relationships across the portfolio
  • Establishing usability testing as a HUED capability
Key Achievements
  • Established a major institutional innovation and customer experience lab within 3 weeks
  • Built HUED’s usability testing capability with Tobii eye-tracking practice across multiple institutions
  • Secured strategic government platform engagements through regulatory qualification leadership
  • Became HUED’s core operational leader, supporting project-based operations across the studio
HUED · Previously

Senior Project
Manager

Jan 2023 — Dec 2023 · 12 months
Key Responsibilities
  • Planning and managing projects across HUED’s digital and design domains
  • Managing project budgets, resourcing, invoicing, and reporting
  • Engaging with clients and managing their expectations
  • Conducting UX research and usability testing using Tobii eye-tracking platforms
  • Facilitating service design workshops, hackathons, and datathons
  • Managing vendors and partners across project deliveries
Key Achievements
  • Delivered eight major engagements in his first year, spanning customer experience labs, government platforms, UX research, hackathons, and datathons
  • Established HUED’s first customer experience lab, from set-up through team training, anchoring a new HUED capability
  • Earned by-name requests from clients to take on additional projects, expanding HUED’s footprint across multiple institutions
  • Supported HUED’s business development through proposal contributions and qualification work
  • Set up and ran HUED’s usability testing practice with Tobii eye-tracking devices and platforms
  • Recognised as one of HUED’s most versatile project managers, contributing directly to the expansion of digital business lines
Alwasaet · Previously

Project Manager

May 2022 — Dec 2022 · 7 months
ALWASAET
Key Responsibilities
  • Planning and managing projects
  • Managing client expectations and engagements
  • Facilitating & user testing
  • Technical evaluation and review of an interactive learning application using Unity
Crafton ME · Previously

Project Manager

Sep 2019 — May 2022 · 2 years 8 months
CRAFTON
Key Responsibilities
  • Planning and managing government digital projects across multiple ministries
  • Engaging with senior government stakeholders and managing their expectations
  • Managing project budgets, resourcing, and timelines
  • Coordinating technical, design, and content teams across deliveries
  • Managing vendors and partners across long-form public-sector engagements
Government Projects Delivered
  • MCIT. Main Website for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
  • CITC. Consultation program for the Communications and Information Technology Commission
  • SIDF. Main Website and Internal Portal for the Saudi Industrial Development Fund
  • MoJ. Main Website and Najiz Services for the Ministry of Justice
  • Saudi Space Commission. Main Website
Teejan · Previously

Product Manager
UX/UI

Feb 2018 — Sep 2019 · 1 year 7 months
TEEJAN
Key Responsibilities
  • Managing product roadmaps and writing user stories for development teams
  • Designing UX and UI for early-stage digital products
  • Coordinating between design and engineering teams
  • Conducting user research to validate product direction
  • Supporting start-up establishment from concept through launch
Key Work
  • Built UX and UI design capability across multiple early-stage digital products
  • Established product management discipline as part of Teejan’s start-up support practice
  • Contributed to the establishment of multiple ventures incubated through Teejan
  • Developed bilingual product communication skills working with Saudi tech founders
  • Built the foundations in product thinking that later informed digital project leadership
03 — Selected Work

Nineteen Projects.
One Studio.

Each engagement carries a project-management spine and a technical-contribution layer. Both are listed below, exactly as they were delivered.

01
2023

NHC Customer Experience Lab Set-up & Support

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
Technical Contributions
  • Usability Testing Devices Procurement
  • Usability Testing Devices & Platform Setup (Tobii Devices & Platform)
  • Usability Testing Training
02
2023

National Events Center Enjz Platform

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Vendor Management
Technical Contributions
  • Developing Testing Plan & Test Cases
  • Conduct Platform Testing
  • API Testing
03
2023

PIF Art Studio Project

Project Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
04
2023

Tourism Development Fund Employee Portal

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Project Reporting
  • Vendor Management
Technical Contributions
  • User Research Planning & Facilitation
  • UX Design Review & Management
  • Strapi CMS Setup
  • Conduct Platform Testing & Integrations
  • API Testing
05
2023

Najm UX Research & Design

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Vendor Management
  • Project Reporting
Technical Contributions
  • UX Research Planning and Facilitation
  • UX Heuristic Assessment
  • Usability Testing Planning, Setup, and Facilitation
  • Conduct 20+ UX testing sessions with users using Tobii Eye-tracking and Platform
06
2023

STC Datathon

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Project Reporting
  • Vendor Management
  • Event Planning
Technical Contributions
  • Participants Filtering and Team Building
  • Datathon Setup
  • Hackathon Facilitation
  • Judging Facilitation
  • Awarding Ceremony Facilitation
07
2023

STC Beem UX Research

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Project Reporting
Technical Contributions
  • UX Research Planning
  • UX Heuristic Assessment
  • Tobii Equipment Setup
  • Conduct 10+ UX testing sessions using Tobii Eye-tracking
08
2023 – 2024

Financial Academy Platform Design & Development

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Hiring & Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Project Reporting
Technical Contributions
  • UX Research Planning and Facilitation
  • UX Design Management
  • Front End Development Management
09
2024 – 2025

Shared Services Program: Design of 120 Government Services

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Reporting
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
Technical Contributions
  • Service Design Research Planning
  • Service Design Research Workshop Facilitation
  • Service Design Management
  • Business Processes Design & Development
  • Supervision of Service Implementation on ServiceNow Platform
10
2024

Banque Saudi Fransi UX Research & Usability Testing

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
Technical Contributions
  • UX Research Planning
  • UX Heuristic Assessment
  • Tobii Equipment Setup
  • Conduct 10+ UX testing sessions using Tobii Eye-tracking
11
2024

Riyadh Parking Service Design Project

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Vendor Management
Technical Contributions
  • Service Design Research Planning
  • Service Design Research Workshop Facilitation
  • Service Design Ideation Workshop Facilitation
12
2024

anb Beyond Hackathon

Technical Contributions
  • Hackathon Setup
  • Hackathon Event Management
  • UX Facilitation for Hackathon Teams
  • Judging Management
  • Awarding Ceremony Facilitation
13
2024

TETCO Customer Experience Lab Establishment

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Vendor Management
Technical Contributions
  • CX Lab Interior Design Management
  • Usability Testing Devices Procurement
  • Usability Testing Devices & Platform Setup (Tobii Devices & Platform)
14
2025

Revamping SIMAT D2E Platform

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
Technical Contributions
  • Customer Research Planning
  • Service Design Planning & Workshop Facilitation
  • UX Design Sprint Planning & Management
15
2024 – 2025

REGA Innovation & CX Lab Program

Program Management
  • Program Planning & Management
  • Resource Hiring & Management
  • Program Budget Management
  • Program Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Vendor Management
  • Program Reporting
Technical Contributions
  • Lab Interior Design Management
  • Lab Fitout & Construction Supervision
  • Development & Setup of Lab’s Devices
  • Development & Setup of Usability Testing Practice
  • Development & Implementation of Lab’s Branding
  • Lab Operations
  • Presentation & Walkthrough of the Innovation Lab to REGA Board of Directors and Leadership
16
2025 – 2026

SWA Innovation Platform

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Hiring & Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Project Reporting
Technical Contributions
  • UX Research & Planning
  • Brand Research Planning & Development
  • BRD Development for the Platform
  • UX Design Management
  • Platform Development Supervision
17
2025 – 2026

CMA Websites Development & Operations

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
Technical Contributions
  • Oracle Servers Migration for three of CMA’s websites
  • Taking handoff from previous vendors managing the websites
  • Setup of Oracle accounts
  • Overseeing Website Design and Launch
18
2025 – 2026

King Salman Academy Portal Development

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Resource Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Project Invoicing & Collection
  • Client Management & Communication
  • Vendor Management
19
2025

HUED New Studio Office Design & Development

Project Management
  • Project Planning & Management
  • Project Budget Management
  • Vendor Management
Technical Contributions
  • Space Planning
  • Interior Design Management
  • Construction Supervision
  • Furniture & Devices Procurement & Setup
  • HUED Brand Implementation
04 — Clients

Clients
Managed at HUED.

Government authorities, sovereign-wealth subsidiaries, regulators, banks, and innovation programs across the Kingdom.

NHC NHC
National Events Center National Events Center
REGA REGA
CMA CMA
SWA SWA
Tourism Development Fund Tourism Development Fund
TETCO TETCO
King Salman Academy King Salman Academy
PIF PIF
Banque Saudi Fransi Banque Saudi Fransi
Arab National Bank Arab National Bank
Najm Najm
Financial Academy Financial Academy
STC STC
SIMAAH SIMAAH
Riyadh Parking Riyadh Parking
Shared Services Program Shared Services Program
05 — Credentials

Education.

Education · 2012 — 2017
B Eng. Software Engineering
Prince Sultan University
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Education · 2017
Fullbridge Business Fundamentals Program
 
06 — Expertise

Two disciplines.
One operator.

Project &
Program
Management
  • End-to-end Project and Program Planning and Management
  • Project Management Office Establishment and Operations
  • Resource Hiring, Allocation, and Management
  • Project Budget Management and Financial Performance Reporting
  • Project Invoicing, Collection, and Vendor Management
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Client Communication
  • Agile, Scrum, and Lean Six Sigma Delivery
  • ERP Administration and Operations Management
Digital
&
Design
  • UX Research, Heuristic Assessment, and Usability Testing
  • Service Design Research, Workshop Facilitation, and Program Management
  • UX Design Management and Design Sprint Leadership
  • Brand Research and Brand Development
  • Business Requirements Definition and Platform Development Supervision
  • Customer Experience Lab Establishment and Operations
  • Innovation Lab Establishment and Program Management
  • Hackathon and Datathon Design and Facilitation

Platforms & Tools.

Project & Program Management
MS ProjectJiraAsanaTrelloClickUpFloat
ERP & Operations
OdooMicrosoft Office
Design & Research
FigmaMiroSketchTobii Eye-tracking
Development & Content
Strapi CMSWordPressVisual StudioLinux
English
Professional fluency
Arabic
Native fluency
French
Conversational

Let’s
Talk.

If you are looking to build a Project Management Office, establish a Customer Experience or Innovation Lab, or run a complex digital and design program end to end.

Email Abdullah Call +966 53 089 2433
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/abouchakra
Email
abdullahaboushaqra@gmail.com
Mobile
+966 53 089 2433
Studio
livehued.com