Lara Chikhani | Customer Experience, Innovation & AI

01 / About

I work across customer experience, innovation and digital transformation, with 20+ years of experience shaping digital products, services and programs.

My work brings together user needs, business priorities and technology. I lead experience strategy and transformation programs, working with teams from defining the direction through delivery and adoption. This includes service design, digital platforms, innovation and accelerator programs, and AI-enabled and AI-first products.

Based in

Dubai

Languages

English · Arabic · French

02 / In numbers

About me, in numbers

20+

Years of experience in customer experience, service design, and digital transformation

100+

Clients across government, enterprise, and startups in MENA, Europe, and the US

10+

Industries, including telecom, banking, retail, gaming, energy, and government

10+

Countries with projects delivered across MENA, Europe, and the US

30+

Startup launches supported, from research and CX strategy to go-to-market

10+

Years teaching and mentoring at AUB, BAU, and startup accelerators

03 / Expertise

What I do

Customer experience & service design

CX frameworks, journey standards, and experience principles for enterprise and government programs.

Innovation & accelerator programs

Operating models, governance, and repeatable methodology that support scaling businesses.

Digital transformation

Large-scale platform strategy, operating models, and agile delivery, from concept to launch and adoption.

AI-driven & AI-first products

Agentic platforms, recommendation engines, and AI use cases, designed around real users and taken from concept to rollout.

04 / Career

Two decades, seven roles

Jan 2025 – Present

Director

Oliver Wyman Digital

UAE, covering the GCC

Lead innovation and transformation programs for enterprise and public-sector clients across the GCC.
Design operating models, governance, and repeatable methodologies that help businesses scale.
Lead the design and build of AI-first platforms that improve operational efficiency.

May 2020 – Dec 2024

Senior Manager, UX/UI Design

Oliver Wyman Digital

UAE, covering the GCC

Led experience strategy and design for large-scale public- and private-sector platforms across the GCC.
Authored CX frameworks, journey standards, and experience principles for national-scale programs.
Led cross-functional teams from concept through build and launch, including AI-enabled solutions.

Oct 2015 – May 2020

User Experience & Digital Strategy Consultant

Independent

Projects across UAE, KSA, Qatar, Hungary, USA, France

Supported 30+ startup launches across the full product lifecycle: research, CX strategy, journey design, UX/UI, and go-to-market.
Delivered UX and CX design across hospitality, gaming, ticketing, retail, fintech, banking, healthcare, EdTech, telecom, and e-commerce.
Designed the experience and digital strategy for a multi-channel open-banking platform.
Mentored teams through 10+ accelerator cycles, hackathons, and innovation programs across MENA.

Nov 2013 – Sep 2015

Marketing Automation & Lifecycle Planning Consultant

Johnson Luke

Beirut, Doha

Led end-to-end experience design and customer engagement strategy for a real estate developer and a car manufacturer.
Led CX strategy, service design, and engagement strategy for payment solutions within a Middle East bank.

Feb 2013 – Oct 2013

Senior Digital Strategic Planner

Wunderman Thomson

Beirut, Dubai

Integrated UX principles into the technology department’s design process, improving workflow from proposal to implementation.
Led concept creation for a major revamp for a leading UAE real estate developer, plus UX/UI concepts across retail, real estate, and healthcare.

Jun 2008 – Feb 2013

Senior User Experience Consultant

Elementn

Beirut · Dubai · KSA

Led the UX design of a 3-year transformation program for a major GCC telco, covering intranet, e-commerce, and self-service portals.
Led the UX design and strategy for a premier UAE real estate community portal.
Led the design and build of a music engagement portal for brands.
Ran usability testing and heuristic evaluations across diverse products.

Jun 2006 – May 2008

Management Consultant

BD Consult

Beirut, Doha

Led research and service design for process automation across a 500+ employee manufacturer and a major Lebanese bank.
Redesigned 100+ internal processes for automation at a leading Qatar logistics operator.

05 / Teaching

2024 – present

Lecturer

American University of Beirut, Online Professional Diploma in UX/UI Design, incl. UX Strategy and Management

2021 – 2023

UX mentor

Nielsen Norman Group. Peer mentoring for fellow NN/g UX certification holders.

2017 – 2020

UX startup mentor & coach

Flat6Labs Beirut, AgryTech Beirut. Workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and UX clinics for startup cohorts across multiple cycles.

2013 – 2020

Senior lecturer

Beirut Arab University. Taught Graphic Design and Interactive Design to BA Graphic Design students, using a human-centred approach.

06 / Community

2018 – present

Co-founder, The Inpact Lab

Non-profit fostering innovation and sustainable community development, through two programs:Solve 24: a youth accelerator program that helps teenagers solve community challenges creatively, using STEAM.HandyWomen On Call: a program dedicated to empowering women in Lebanon from vulnerable backgrounds, with the tools, skills, and support they need to thrive in traditionally male-dominated fields.

2017 – present

Fellow, TechWomen

A U.S. Department of State initiative that connects emerging women leaders in STEM from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East with mentors and peers in the U.S. tech industry.Participated in delegations to Egypt, Morocco, Uzbekistan, and South Africa to encourage women to take on careers in STEM.

07 / Education & certification

2002 – 2005

BSc, Computer Science

American University of Beirut

2017

UX Management Certificate

Nielsen Norman Group

2019

Innovation in Healthcare Bootcamp

MIT & Harvard Medical School