Hala Hayek is the deputy managing director of APCO’s Saudi Arabia team. She leads strategic communication initiatives for the Riyadh Transport Office under the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, overseeing Riyadh Public Transport, road infrastructure and traffic management.
Throughout her tenure at APCO, Hala played a key role in the communications strategy for several high-profile tourism development projects under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. This includes the launch of Soudah Development’s corporate strategy and its mountain tourism destination, Soudah Peaks, as well as AlUla Development Company and Aseer Investment Company. She also spearheaded the marketing and communications activities for the Saudi Pavilion’s pre-opening at Expo 2020 Dubai, under the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning.
A seasoned leader, Hala supports APCO’s global governmental projects and business development strategies and proposals, with a focus on the Saudi market. Her expertise spans communications strategy development and execution, project management, stakeholder engagement, branding alignment, activations and crisis communications.
Before rejoining APCO, Hala held diverse roles across the region including a stint with APCO (2015-2016) during her time in Qatar. Earlier in her career, she served as head of communications for Red Bull in both Lebanon and Qatar, managing editorial, digital events and product marketing; and is also an entrepreneur and founder of Apostrophe’, a communications agency specializing in digital and creative production in Lebanon. Additionally, she has collaborated with various organizations including the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radio Lebanon, and the Italian Embassy in Lebanon, contributing to impactful research and communication initiatives.
In 2019, Hala was appointed by the Lebanese government to represent the state in the Arab Women Organization for a two-year term. She is a member of Lebanon’s National Tourism Initiative, focusing on rebranding the country as a unique tourism destination.
Hala holds a master’s degree in information and communication from Université Saint Joseph (USJ) in Lebanon, graduating with great distinction. She also completed a preparatory year in history at Paris Sorbonne University-Abu Dhabi and earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from USJ in 2010. She is fluent in Arabic, French and English.