Abdulaziz Alhargan

Abdulaziz earned his doctorate in computer science from George Washington University after completing his MSc, also in computer science, from the American University in Washington, DC. His BSc in agricultural engineering was earned at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

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He has continued to further his knowledge through conferences and training in leadership, management, finance, and project management.

Abdulaziz founded Kentune, a management consultancy with an exclusive focus on the Middle East, providing strategy, management, and policy consulting services to private and public sector clients in a wide range of industries. Kentune was born out of a desire to develop effective knowledge economy strategies and programs driven by best practices, and to align those programs to the realities on the ground. 

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Abdulaziz is also a member of the Majlis al-Shura, or Consultative Council, a legislative body that advises the King on issues that are important to Saudi Arabia. He focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge economy. 

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Previously, Abdulaziz was director of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) BADIR Program. As director, he oversaw an international staff operating five technology incubators, a technology entrepreneurship program, a technology investment support unit, and a technology incubation support program. He joined KACST in 2007 as an Assistant Professor in the Computer and Electronics Research Institute, completing research projects in speech recognition, open source business applications, and internet profiling. 

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Abdulaziz has worked in the UAE, the US, and Saudi Arabia in a variety of training, ITC development, publishing, management, and consulting roles for both the private and public sectors. He held ITC development and management positions in the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture, after which he held publishing and IT development jobs in the US for Arbuter Magazine, International Information Services, and the World Bank Group. He has also managed his own IT consulting and real estate investment businesses in Saudi Arabia.

Abdulaziz is a member of Class 16 and served his fellowship at the BADIR Program in Saudi Arabia. He has also served as a mentor to Fahad Alhussain, Class 17.