LinkedIn awards Akram Awad (BCG) with coveted influencer status

Riyadh-based Boston Consulting Group partner Akram Awad has been named a LinkedIn ‘Top Voice’, which recognises the most engaged and thoughtful expert contributors on the platform.

Awad, a doctorate-holder in wireless communications, is a partner within BCG’s public sector and technology advantage practices, and serves as the global leader of the strategy consulting firm’s smart cities segment.

He is believed to be the first expert from Boston Consulting Group in the Middle East to receive one of LinkedIn’s invitation-only ‘Top Voice’ blue badges, with only 300 thought leaders from around the world selected each year.

On LinkedIn, Awad said he was deeply humbled by the honour: “This recognition is a testament to the amazing engagement and feedback from all of you. Your support has been instrumental, and I'm truly grateful. A special thanks to my colleagues in the BCG comms team for their great support, and to all the journalists and media leaders with whom I’ve had the pleasure of engaging.”

Awad joined BCG in Dubai in 2016 after spending three years as a consultant at Cisco in London, during which time he earned his MBA from IE Business School, where he continues to act as a visiting professor of technology and innovation management. In addition, he is the co-founder of UAE start up Findme, which provides affordable personal trackers using internet of things technology.

At BCG, he advises high-level public sector leaders across the Middle East and those in the technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) industries around the world on artificial intelligence, data and analytics, digital transformations, and innovation strategy and delivery. He is also a frequent speaker and champion of several global initiatives around human-centric AI.

Naturally, these topics are the focus of Awad’s frequent posts to LinkedIn, and of his podcast and newsletter “2063: An AI Odyssey”. Awad says his ‘Top Voice’ badge is the culmination of a deliberate decision he made last year to commit more time to writing and sharing his knowledge and perspective through public events and channels, on top of his regular BCG thought leadership.

Along with a passion for writing, Awad notes that his motivation is to cultivate understanding; “I firmly believe that the best way to learn is by sharing knowledge in a structured and meaningful way. It’s easy to get caught up in daily responsibilities, but sharing what we learn is equally important. By doing so, we can inspire new thinking, drive meaningful conversations, and foster the exchange of ideas.”