Transforming leadership development in Saudi Arabia through evidence-based innovation
We're thrilled to announce that Thinqi has been shortlisted for the LPI (Learning and Performance Institute) Learning Awards for our innovative work with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. This recognition celebrates how precision learning technologies can redefine leadership development in complex, culturally rich environments.
Why this partnership matters
KAUST represents one of the world's leading research universities, drawing leaders and talent from over 100 nationalities. In Saudi Arabia's rapidly evolving landscape, where organisations are driving digital transformation and reimagining how knowledge-based institutions operate, KAUST recognised a critical opportunity: to move beyond traditional leadership development and create a system that would work at pace, with rigour, and with deep cultural sensitivity.
The challenge was significant. Annual reviews produced delayed snapshots of performance. Feedback was fragmented. Leadership programmes were broad and generic. For a globally diverse community where psychological safety and fairness matter deeply, this approach simply wasn't fit for purpose.
KAUST knew they needed to innovate—not just digitise existing processes, but fundamentally reimagine how leaders develop in their unique context.
A partnership built on understanding
What we love about working with KAUST is their commitment to getting it right. Their L&D (KAUST) team didn't want a one-size-fits-all platform drop-in. They wanted to partner with Thinqi to redesign their entire leadership development model around a learning system that could be purposeful, culturally intelligent, and genuinely transformative.
Together, we built something we call "closed-loop precision learning"—a system where evaluation, prescription, learning, and measurement are seamlessly connected. But the real innovation wasn't the technology; it was how KAUST reimagined what leadership development could look like in their environment.
How it works
Managers now receive continuous 360-degree evaluations within Thinqi, replacing outdated annual review cycles. Results are anonymised and instantly visualised in dashboards, giving both individuals and the organisation immediate, actionable insight.
But here's the crucial part: that feedback doesn't sit in isolation. Thinqi's AI-powered Evaluations Summary interprets results, highlights priority KPIs, and prescribes personalised learning pathways directly within the same system. Managers are guided to curated courses, playlists, and live events—everything housed in one unified experience. Every engagement is tracked. Re-evaluations benchmark progress, creating an evidence trail that proves development over time.
The result is radical: every data point leads to action, every learning pathway is personalised, and every intervention is grounded in evidence.
Overcoming challenges with innovation
Shifting from static annual reviews to continuous evaluation required mindset change. Managers accustomed to confidential, infrequent feedback needed reassurance about fairness and psychological safety—particularly in a culturally sensitive, globally diverse environment where the risk of bias or perceptions of unfairness had to be managed carefully.
KAUST solved this through anonymised, competency-aligned evaluations embedded in the platform, giving managers confidence in the integrity of the process. The innovation didn't just address the challenge; it created an unexpected opportunity: transforming the learning culture from one historically sensitive about exposing weaknesses into a collaborative, transparent environment where feedback is valued as evidence-based insight, not criticism.
Executive sponsorship was equally vital. Real-time dashboards proved transformative for KAUST's leadership team, giving the C-suite visibility of leadership capability across the organisation for the first time. Talent planning shifted from anecdote to evidence. This transparency strengthened trust and positioned the L&D function as a strategic partner in organisational decision-making.
The impact in numbers
The results speak to what precision learning can achieve:
- A 300% increase in feedback frequency has shifted the culture from annual snapshots to continuous development cycles.
- Today, 147 managers actively engage with the learning system.
- Leadership capability has been rated 4.37 out of 5, sustained over two years—evidencing stronger leadership culture, higher engagement, and genuine confidence in handling the sensitive conversations that matter in KAUST's close-knit community.
But beyond the metrics, the real transformation is qualitative. Managers report greater confidence. The L&D team can now directly correlate how engagement with learning in the Thinqi system impacts measurable improvement in leadership capability. Interventions are targeted and evidence-based—when data revealed that managers struggled with sensitive conversations, the L&D team designed precise interventions on conflict management and psychological safety, delivered through the platform, with subsequent evaluations confirming real improvement.
Innovation in the Kingdom
This work matters because KAUST operates at the intersection of global ambition and local context. Saudi Arabia is a nation reimagining itself—investing in knowledge, innovation, and leadership excellence. Organisations like KAUST are driving that transformation. They needed a learning partner who understood that innovation doesn't mean ignoring culture; it means embedding cultural intelligence into every decision.
Our work together shows that precision learning isn't just about technology. It's about partnership. It's about understanding context. It's about designing systems that work with your people, not against them. In the Kingdom, where organisations are leading significant change, this approach matters more than ever.
Looking ahead
Being shortlisted for the LPI Learning Awards alongside so many impressive initiatives and forward-thinking organisations is genuinely humbling. We're excited to celebrate this work at the awards ceremony with the L&D community—a community we deeply respect and feel privileged to serve.
But the real recognition belongs to KAUST and their remarkable L&D team. They had the vision to innovate, the courage to challenge the status quo, and the commitment to doing it in a way that honoured their people and their unique cultural context. We simply had the privilege of building a platform that could support their vision.
At Thinqi, we're passionate about creating learning systems that serve real organisational challenges. KAUST proves that when you combine educational rigour, cultural sensitivity, and purposeful technology, leadership development becomes not just effective—it becomes transformative.