Diriyah, Jewel of the Kingdom: Shaden Alfraih — a rising star at the DGDA

Shaden Alfraih

Shaden Alfraih is the megaprojects permitting assistant manager at the Diriyah Gate Development Authority. She joined the DGDA in January 2020.
An architect and interior design engineer with a determination to excel in a growth-oriented environment, tackling challenges creatively and proficiently, Alfraih’s key responsibilities in this role include supporting and overseeing team tasks to ensure the quality of delivery, assisting executive management in strategic decision-making, establishing and leading outsourced projects, validating all superstructure permits issued for the Diriyah Gate and Wadi Safar projects, and managing external stakeholder alignment activities with governmental entities.
Prior to her current role, she worked as the megaprojects permitting specialist at the DGDA, which meant she was responsible for developing an in-house superstructure-permitting procedure for the Diriyah Gate and Wadi Safar projects; collaborating with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to publish and implement the Wadi Hanifah form base code; leading outsourced projects by initiating project charters; leading technical evaluating committees; reviewing and accepting project deliverables; approving project payments and concluding project closure documentation; preparing MoUs with governmental entities including the General Directorate of Civil Defense, Ministry of Housing, and RCRC; and presenting DGDA projects and Wadi Hanifah form base code to town halls, governmental entities, and potential investors.
Before joining the DGDA, Alfraih worked on the Riyadh Metro project, as project architect — design, from April 2017 to January 2020.
Her responsibilities there included managing, reviewing, and coordinating design documents including architectural, urban, structural, and MEP from conceptual design through completion; negotiating the terms and conditions of the tender and best practices; inspecting design implementation through samples, mockups, and site visits; and resolving complex design and construction-related issues.
Her other responsibilities included communicating project updates with the client on a regular basis and coordinating with multiple stakeholders in the project including the General Directorate of Civil Defense, National Water Co., Ministry of Interior, and General Authority of Civil Aviation.
She also managed all commercial items in the Riyadh Metro project (including retail, advertisement, ATMs) in terms of design, implementation, and commercial-value assessment in coordination with RISE consultancy, and managed the Riyadh Metro summer training program for university students from 2017 to 2019.
From January to August 2016, Alfraih worked as an architect and interior/urban design trainee at Imar Urban Consultants.
Alfraih obtained a master’s degree in management with a major in finance from Prince Sultan University in 2020, having received a bachelor’s degree in interior design engineering from the same university in 2016.