Who’s Who: Abdullah Al Nabhan, Managing Partner of Palladium in the Middle East

As Palladium’s Regional Managing Partner in the Middle East, Abdullah Al Nabhan has implemented strategic planning in the region for more than 20 years, specialized in economic growth, impact investments, social development and agriculture services.

Abdullah has been with Palladium for 16 years, initially joining as a Consultant in the Dubai office within the firm’s Strategy Consulting practice. Since then, he has taken on a number of different roles and responsibilities, transitioning into his current role as Regional Managing Partner and spearheading Palladium’s business expansion in the Middle East.

Throughout his career, Abdullah has helped governments and entities develop and implement long-term sustainable strategies and plans.

“My work at Palladium gives me perspective, and I feel this when I wake up every day. I am proud of the work that we do both locally, and globally. We’ve grown our GCC business three-fold over the last three to five years, and keeping that momentum is something we’re always thinking about.”

With a team of over 300 staff and growing in the region, Abdullah mentions that Palladium is an international firm but locally driven, with over 65% Saudization in the Saudi branch.

He is responsible for Palladium’s client and relationship management across all GCC markets, and oversees project delivery, ensuring the best quality standards.

Impact-driven execution

“Palladium’s strength lies in our impact-driven execution of projects that differentiates us in the GCC consulting market. As a strategic partner, we lead our clients to local and international recognition using our technical expertise, sharp understanding of local context, and commitment to supporting national goals such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and UAE 2031.”

Palladium became part of the GISI Consulting Group as of 2022, a family of firms serving the built and social environments. Operating in over 100 countries, and with over 14,000 collective employees delivering 10,000 projects a year, GISI Consulting Group provides an outstanding opportunity for Palladium to work on a larger scale and with a deeper impact than ever before.

“It’s a very exciting time here in the GCC! There are many moving parts as we work across our main sectors: agriculture and environment, government competitiveness, social development, humanitarian assistance, and infrastructure advisory. I’m especially inspired by our capabilities under GISI, as we expand Palladium’s tailored strategic solutions and create positive impact for our clients and communities.”

Abdullah holds a Master’s degree in Leading Innovation and Change from York St. John University (UK) and a Bachelors (Honors) Degree in Commerce and a Double Minor Degree in Economics and Political Science from Carleton University (Canada).

He currently sits on multiple committees in the GCC in fields related to impact investing and sustainability and served as part of the judging committee for Dubai Live Expo 2020 and 2023 Grant Program. He has published extensively on strategy and performance management and is an active speaker in global and regional summits tackling the world’s most prominent topics, addressing social development, economic growth, and government competitiveness.