MMXXVI · The Liquid Edition

ALSIDDIQ

M. Abdullah

Strategic program & portfolio leader — seventeen years across banking, financial services, and IT governance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Demand & Delivery Manager · EMKAN · PMO Authority
12K+
LinkedIn Followers
17+
Years Experience
MSc
Artificial Intelligence
PhD
Candidate · MBA
Alsiddiq M. Abdullah
❦ Royal Decree
Descend
12K+
LinkedIn Followers
17+
Years in Technology
3
Scientific Publications
50+
Projects Delivered
Where I've delivered
EMKANAl Rajhi BankTanfeethEtesal
A Note On Practice

An AI-Minded Project Leader

A strategic Program & Portfolio leader specializing in Islamic digital-transformation programs — turning PMOs from reporting units into enterprise value engines.

I lead large-scale transformation by implementing governance-driven execution systems, aligning business strategy with technology platforms, and building operating models that convert vision into scalable, measurable results.

My focus is not project delivery as an activity, but transformation delivery as a system — where strategy becomes structure, structure becomes execution, and execution becomes enterprise impact.

Education & Credentials
i.
PhD — Data Science & Artificial IntelligenceCandidate · Islamic University of Minnesota · 2026–2028
ii.
MSc — Artificial IntelligenceMidocean University · 2025
iii.
MBA — Business AdministrationHorizons University · 2025
iv.
BSc — Computer Science & ITSikkim Manipal University · 2003–2006
Certifications
PMI PMO Certified Professional (PMI-PMOCP)™Scrum Master (Cert Prep)Agile Project Management with Jira CloudLeveraging Generative AI for Project ManagementMindfulness for Project Managers
Alsiddiq M. Abdullah

Effective technology leadership combines strategic vision with precise execution.

— Alsiddiq M. Abdullah
The Disciplines

Mastery, refracted

AI Strategy

Designing enterprise AI systems to automate processes, enhance decision-making, and build sustainable competitive advantage.

Project Management & PMO

Leading PMO offices and applying Agile and PMP methodologies for efficient, high-quality project delivery.

IT Governance

COBIT & ITIL frameworks, portfolio management, regulatory compliance and cybersecurity.

Digital Banking

Leading digital banking initiatives and transforming traditional operations into intelligent, scalable platforms.

Data Science & Analytics

Machine learning models and financial fraud detection systems with documented field research experience.

Operational Transformation

End-to-end process redesign and efficiency improvement through business automation and modern technologies — from diagnosis through execution and measurement.

Selected Mandates

Impact, delivered

4 yrs

Demand-to-Delivery Engine · EMKAN

Own intake, qualification, prioritization, and delivery for the IT portfolio — turning demand into governed, measurable delivery.

~35%

IT CAPEX Cut · Al Rajhi

Insourced 129 IT staff from 17 outsourcers into Al Rajhi Services — cutting IT CAPEX spend ~35% — alongside core-banking & digital delivery (incl. the DigiCore program).

1,500+

Talent Programs at Scale · Tanfeeth

25+ hiring programs and 1,500+ local & overseas hires delivered, with full contractual governance and audit readiness.

The Record

Publications & Research

01

Fraud Detection in Loan Applications Using Machine Learning: An Applied Study in the Saudi Financial Market

Applied Study · AI in Financial Services

An applied study presenting machine-learning models for proactive fraud detection in loan applications within the Saudi financial market.

02

An Explainable AI-Based Framework for Controlling Digital Transformation Project Implementation in FinTech & Early Deviation Prediction

PhD Dissertation · Data Science & AI

Doctoral research building an Explainable AI (XAI) framework to govern FinTech transformation delivery and predict project deviations early.

03

Strategic Transformation & Sustainable Growth in Saudi FinTech — Case Study: Emkan Finance

MBA Graduation Project · Strategic Review

A holistic strategic review of a Saudi FinTech under transformation — integrating strategy (PESTEL/SWOT/Porter), leadership & culture, HR, marketing and financial analysis into a 12–24 month sustainable-growth roadmap.

Studies & Research

Applied research & case studies

Finance for Strategic Managers

Strategic Financial Analysis — Samsung

Applied Study

Strategic Marketing — STP & 7Ps

Applied Study

Strategic Human Resource Management

Applied Study

Managing Continuous Organizational Improvement

Applied Research

Research for Strategic Development

Applied Studies

Strategic Planning & Organizational Behaviour

The Journey

A Career in Delivery

Demand & Delivery Manager
EMKAN · إمكان
2022 — Present

Own the full IT demand lifecycle — intake, qualification, prioritization, and delivery execution — aligned to business strategy and portfolio priorities, under governance, risk, and cybersecurity controls.

Senior Projects Manager — IT Solutions
Al Rajhi Bank · مصرف الراجحي
2018 — 2022

Led end-to-end delivery of core banking and digital application projects; built a stakeholder engagement & management framework that improved alignment, decision speed, and risk visibility.

Senior Project Manager
Tanfeeth
2014 — 2018

Managed 25+ hiring programs and coordinated 1,500+ local & overseas hires; oversaw billing and contractual governance with Al Rajhi Bank and third parties with full audit readiness.

Project Manager
Etesal
2008 — 2013

End-to-end project delivery: planning, scheduling, contract administration, change management, and executive reporting across multiple engagements.

Recognition

Honors & awards

Executive Project — HR System Implementation
EMKAN Finance Recognition
Employee of the Month — May 2025
EMKAN · IT Division Award
Knowledge Ambassador — Appreciation Certificate
MidOcean University Honor
Al-Sahafi · الصحفي

Articles & Insights

Full Articles
الاقتصاد والاستراتيجية

التنافسية الرقمية: تحديات وفرص

تعتبر التنافسية الرقمية من أهم العوامل التي تؤثر على نجاح الشركات في السوق الحديث. حيث تتيح للشركات الوصول إلى أسواق جديدة وتحقيق فرص للنمو. ومع ذلك، فإن التحديات التي تواجهها الشركات في هذا المجال لا تزال كبيرة، ويتطلب الأمر استراتيجيات فعالة لتحقيق التفوق في السوق الرقمي.

Jun 23, 2026
التحول الرقمي

السحابة الحوسبية: التحول الرقمي للشركات

تعتبر السحابة الحوسبية أحد أهم التقنيات التي ساهمت في التحول الرقمي للشركات في العصر الحديث. حيث توفر السحابة الحوسبية للمستخدمين القدرة على الوصول إلى الموارد الحوسبية مثل الخوادم والتخزين والبرامج عبر الإنترنت، مما يقلل من الحاجة إلى البنية التحتية المحلية. في هذا المقال، سنناقش تأثير السحابة الحوسبية على الأعمال والاقتصاد الرقمي.

Jun 23, 2026
البيانات والتحليل

تحليلات الأعمال: المفتاح للنجاح

تحليلات الأعمال تلعب دورًا حاسمًا في نجاح الشركات في السوق الحديثة. من خلال استخدام البيانات والتحليلات، يمكن للشركات اتخاذ قرارات مدروسة ومؤثرة. في هذا المقال، سنستكشف كيفية استخدام تحليلات الأعمال لتعزيز أداء الشركة.

Jun 23, 2026
الاقتصاد والاستراتيجية

ريادة الأعمال التقنية: محرك التطور الاقتصادي

ريادة الأعمال التقنية تلعب دورًا حاسمًا في تحفيز النمو الاقتصادي وتحويل المجتمعات إلى اقتصاديات رقمية. وفقًا لتقرير من قبل McKinsey، يمكن ��ن تساهم ريادة الأعمال التقنية في زيادة الناتج المحلي الإجمالي بنسبة تصل إلى 10% في بعض البلدان. هذا المقال يبحث في تأثير ريادة الأعمال التقنية على الاقتصاد والاستراتيجيات التي يمكن أن تساهم في نموها.

Jun 23, 2026
إدارة المشاريع

منهجية Agile: التحول الرقمي في إدارة المشاريع

تعتبر منهجية Agile واحدة من أكثر المنهجيات شعبية في إدارة المشاريع، حيث تتيح للفرق العمل ب柔كسية أكبر وتحقيق إنتاجية أعلى. وفقًا لتقرير issued بواسطة McKinsey، فإن 71% من الشركات تستخدم منهجية Agile في مشاريعها. في هذا المقال، سنستعرض مفاهيم منهجية Agile وأهميتها في إدارة المشاريع.

Jun 23, 2026
الذكاء الاصطناعي

الذكاء الاصطناعي التوليدي: ثورة في الصناعة

تكنولوجيا الذكاء الاصطناعي التوليدي تحول الصناعة بسرعة، حيث تتيح إنشاء محتوى جديد ومبتكر بسرعة وبدقة عالية. وفقًا لتقرير مؤسسة ماكينزي، ي��كن أن يزيد استخدام الذكاء الاصطناعي التوليدي من الإنتاجية بنسبة 40% في بعض الصناعات. يعتبر هذا التطور خطوة كبيرة في مجال الذكاء الاصطناعي، حيث يمكن أن يسهم في تحسين كفاءة العمل وتخفيض التكاليف.

Jun 23, 2026
LinkedIn Posts
Jun 23, 2026

The prevailing issue with anti-fraud AI models in banks is not rooted in technical deficiencies, but rather in the lack of clear accountability when these models produce erroneous results. Effective governance is often misconstrued as a regulatory impediment, when in reality, it is the crucial factor that distinguishes a model destined for production from one that remains in the conceptual phase, never to see the light of day. A well-defined governance structure ensures that the deployment of AI models is not only technically sound but also legally and ethically robust, thereby mitigating potential risks and repercussions.

#ArtificialIntelligence#AntiFraud#BankingSecurity#AIRegulation#FinancialTechnology#RiskManagement
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Jun 23, 2026

The push for transparency in AI decision-making has reached a critical juncture. For instance, in high-stakes applications such as healthcare and finance, the need for explainable AI is not just a desirable trait, but a necessity. Consider the case of a machine learning model denying a loan application - the applicant has a right to know the reasoning behind that decision. By prioritizing explainability, we can ensure that AI systems are not only effective but also fair and accountable.

#ExplainableAI#AItransparency#AccountableAI#TrustworthyAI#AIethics#AIgovernance
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Jun 8, 2026

حوكمة التقنية تعتبر العمود الفقري لمشاريع التحول الرقمي، حيث بدونها قد تتراجع هذه المشاريع إلى الوراء وتفقد أهدافها. من هنا، يأتي دور القيادات في تأكيد أهمية حوكمة التقنية لضمان نجاح هذه المشاريع وتحقيق الأهداف المنشودة

#حوكمة_التقنية#التحول_الرقمي#القيادة#النجاح#المشاريع#التقنية
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May 6, 2026

Most factories don't need another AI pilot. They need AI that survives Monday morning. After working with manufacturing leaders on digital transformation roadmaps, I've noticed a pattern: the AI use cases that actually scale are rarely the flashy ones. Here's where AI is delivering measurable ROI on the shop floor today: 1. Predictive Maintenance — Vibration and thermal sensors feeding ML models can cut unplanned downtime by 30-50%. The catch? Your CMMS data must be clean before the algorithm touches it. 2. Computer Vision QC — Defect detection at line speed, replacing inconsistent manual inspection. We've seen scrap rates drop significantly within 90 days when deployed correctly. 3. Demand Forecasting — AI-driven S&OP reduces both stockouts and excess inventory. Especially powerful when integrated with supplier lead-time variability. 4. Energy Optimization — Reinforcement learning agents tuning HVAC, compressors, and furnaces. Often a 10-15% energy reduction with zero CAPEX beyond the model. 5. Generative AI for SOPs — Operators querying maintenance manuals in natural language (and in their native language) instead of flipping through 400-page PDFs. The real lesson from PMO experience: AI in manufacturing fails not because of the model, but because of weak data governance, unclear ownership, and lack of OT/IT alignment. The technology is ready. The operating model usually isn't. Which AI use case has delivered the strongest ROI in your operations — and what made it stick beyond the pilot phase?

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May 6, 2026

Most IT service providers are still selling tickets, SLAs, and headcount. The smart ones are quietly replacing all three with AI agents. Here's what I'm seeing on the ground in enterprise delivery: 1. Service Desk Triage — AI agents now resolve up to 60% of L1 tickets without human routing. The provider's value shifts from volume to orchestration quality. 2. Project Status Reporting — Agents pull from Jira, Azure DevOps, and Teams to draft weekly PMO reports in minutes. Project managers move from reporters to decision-makers. 3. Vendor & Contract Intelligence — Agents read SOWs, flag scope drift, and benchmark rates. Procurement cycles compress from weeks to days. 4. Demand Intake — Instead of static forms, conversational agents qualify business requests, estimate effort, and route to the right delivery pod automatically. The uncomfortable truth for service providers: the billable-hour model is being disrupted from inside the delivery function. Clients are starting to ask a different question. Not "how many engineers will you assign?" but "how many agents are in your delivery stack, and what's your human-to-agent ratio?" The providers who win the next 24 months won't be the cheapest or the largest. They'll be the ones who productize AI agents into their service catalog with clear governance, measurable outcomes, and transparent economics. The rest will compete on price until the margin disappears. Question for fellow delivery and PMO leaders: Are you treating AI agents as a tool your team uses, or as a service line your organization sells? #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #PMO #ITGovernance #AIAgents

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May 6, 2026

Most PMs are still using AI to summarize meeting notes. That's the floor, not the ceiling. After deploying GenAI across delivery teams at EMKAN, I've seen where it actually moves the needle, and where it quietly fails. The difference isn't the model. It's how you wire it into your delivery process, your governance, and your decision rhythm. Here are 5 high-leverage ways project managers should be using OpenAI right now, beyond the obvious productivity hacks. Swipe through. Slide 1: Risk Detection Before the Status Report Feed historical project data into GPT to surface delay patterns 2-3 sprints before they hit the RAG dashboard. Slide 2: Stakeholder Communication at Scale Generate tailored updates for executives, sponsors, and tech teams from a single source of truth, in the right tone for each. Slide 3: Requirements Disambiguation Use GPT to challenge vague user stories and expose hidden assumptions before they become change requests. Slide 4: Resource & Capacity Forecasting Combine timesheet data with GPT analysis to predict bottlenecks and reallocate before burnout hits the team. Slide 5: Lessons Learned That Actually Get Used Turn closed-project archives into a queryable knowledge base, so the next PM inherits insight, not PDFs. The PMs who win the next 24 months won't be the ones who adopt AI. They'll be the ones who redesign delivery around it. Which of these are you already doing? Which one feels furthest away? #ProjectManagement #AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #PMO #GenAI

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May 6, 2026

Most enterprises are still treating AI agents like chatbots with extra steps. That's a strategic mistake. AI agents aren't a feature — they're an operating model shift. After leading delivery across multiple transformation programs, I've seen the gap between organizations that deploy agents and those that actually scale them. The difference isn't the model. It's the governance, the delivery muscle, and the willingness to redesign workflows around autonomy — not around the org chart. Here's what executives need to understand before scaling AI agents in 2025. Slide 1: The Real Definition of an AI Agent Not a chatbot. An autonomous system that perceives, decides, and acts toward a goal — with measurable accountability. Slide 2: Why Most Agent Pilots Die at Stage 2 78% of pilots fail not on accuracy, but on integration, ownership, and unclear escalation paths to humans. Slide 3: The Governance Layer Nobody Talks About Agents need identity, permissions, audit trails, and kill switches — treat them as digital employees, not features. Slide 4: PMO's New Mandate in the Agent Era Delivery shifts from managing tasks to orchestrating human-agent workflows, SLAs, and outcome-based KPIs. Slide 5: The 90-Day Enterprise Readiness Checklist Data contracts, role redesign, agent registry, risk thresholds, and a single accountable owner — before you scale. If your AI strategy doesn't address governance and delivery in the same breath as the model, you're building on sand. What's the biggest blocker you're seeing in agent adoption? #AIAgents #DigitalTransformation #PMO #ITGovernance #AIStrategy

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Alsiddiq M. Abdullah
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