The rare consultant who has actually done it.
Most digital and AI transformation advice comes from people who have never run one. Abed Hakim spent twenty years leading digital inside GSK, AstraZeneca, Dubai Islamic Bank and Huawei — modernising how global brands market, upskilling 80,000 employees in AI, co-founding an enterprise ChatGPT used by 58,000 people, and shipping the products to prove it.
Global by default.
Two decades running digital across four continents — campaigns and programmes in 21 countries for Lebara, a 15-country market expansion for Huawei, and global remits at AstraZeneca, GSK and Dubai Islamic Bank.
Four things, done properly.
AI enablement at enterprise scale
From first pilot to organisation-wide adoption: enterprise AI platforms, use-case catalogues, governance, and the training programmes that make them stick. The playbook behind an 80,000-person upskilling curriculum and a 500-use-case Enterprise AI Catalogue.
Digital marketing transformation
Modernising how global brands plan, buy and measure: paid-media efficiency, martech, channel strategy and analytics. Delivered across pharma, banking and consumer tech.
Employee advocacy & executive social
Turning leadership teams and workforces into credible voices: content pillars, governance, measurement, advocate training and ghost-written executive presence — currently in flight at GSK.
Fractional & interim leadership
Director-level digital and AI leadership on a fractional or interim basis, bringing two decades of in-house judgement without the permanent headcount.
Twenty years, mostly client-side.
Digital Marketing Strategy & Employee Advocacy Lead
- Global advocacy programme: content pillars, governance, measurement.
- Advocate training and executive social presence, including ghost-writing for senior executives.
Global Digital Director & AI Enablement Lead
- “Thriving in the Age of AI” reached 80,000 employees; 50,000+ certifications in year one.
- Co-founded the enterprise ChatGPT platform — 58,000+ users, 5.5M+ prompts a month.
- Built the first Enterprise AI Catalogue: 500+ use cases, 150+ models.
- Paid-media efficiency +25%; +5 ranks on the Ogilvy Health Global Pharma Index.
Digital Director
- Led digital for Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Merck; 300+ campaigns; 200+ marketers upskilled globally.
AVP Global Head of Digital Marketing
- Lead conversion 2.2% → 7.5%; cost per lead down 40%.
- AI chatbot rollout +25% CSAT; “Best Social Media Customer Service” (CPI Financial).
Senior Digital Strategist
- 15-country market expansion; founded the Global Influencer Network (100+ creators); flash sale of 5,000 devices in 25 minutes.
Global Head of Social Media & Content
- Social and content across 21 countries, four continents.
Global Digital Strategist, Social & Ecommerce
- First in-house role — global social media and ecommerce strategy.
The agency years
- Seven formative years across London’s leading creative and social agencies.
Three transformations, up close.
Teaching 80,000 people to think in AI
When generative AI landed, most enterprises wrote policies. AstraZeneca needed its whole workforce fluent — fast, safely, and inside a regulated industry. Abed designed “Thriving in the Age of AI” on Degreed, co-founded the company’s own ChatGPT platform, and built the first Enterprise AI Catalogue so every team could find a proven use case instead of reinventing one.
→ 58,000+ platform users · 5.5M+ prompts a month · 500+ catalogued use cases
Tripling a bank’s conversion rate
A leading Islamic bank with world-class products and an underperforming digital funnel. As global head of digital marketing, Abed rebuilt the media, measurement and CX stack end to end — then put an AI chatbot in front of customer service before it was fashionable.
→ +25% customer satisfaction · “Best Social Media Customer Service” (CPI Financial)
Turning a workforce into a media channel
The most credible voice a company has is its own people — most just never organise it. At GSK, Abed is building the advocacy engine: content pillars, governance and measurement, advocate training, and ghost-written executive presence that sounds like the executives, not the brand.
In their words.
It’s hard to recommend him highly enough… I’ve seen him excel at strategy and execution in paid media and employee advocacy… A huge asset to any team.
Instrumental role in shaping and executing our employee advocacy program and digital paid strategy… driving measurable improvements and fostering greater engagement.
A strong communicator… a highly potent industry practitioner who can convert this ability into tangible business results.
Taken our Social Media coverage from next to nothing to a million engaged followers… Abed has made a huge contribution to this business.
If I had to sum Abed up in a single sentence it would be: ‘Abed gets things done.’… he is miles ahead of similar counterparts in other organisations.
Abed’s expertise in paid strategy transformed AstraZeneca’s approach to paid amplification, audience targeting, measurement and evaluation… improving return on investment.
He doesn’t just advise. He ships.
Machine Meets Marketing
The consultancy arm of Hakim & Hakim — AI and automation for marketing teams. ‘Every marketing team has AI. almost_none have changed how they work.’ Three productised offers — the AI Marketing Audit, fixed-price Automation Sprints, and the Machine Room retainer — with twenty years of digital transformation behind every call. Currently engaged at GSK.
machinemeetsmarketing.com →
Authority Lab
Build authority, not just content. The Personal Authority System for LinkedIn — grounded in 29,599 classified posts and Cognitive Load Theory. Not an AI writer; a thinking tool.
authoritylab.ai →
elevn+
The 11+ method built for SET and Tiffin. Adaptive practice across 66 topics, 13,000+ questions, instant 10-criterion writing feedback and a parent dashboard with per-school pass-mark probability. 300+ families in the first month. Built solo, end to end.
elevnplus.com →
Three ways in.
Consulting engagement
A defined transformation outcome — an AI enablement programme, an advocacy engine, a digital marketing rebuild — scoped, delivered and handed over with your team trained to run it.
Fractional leadership
Director-level digital and AI leadership, one to three days a week. The judgement of a twenty-year in-house career on your leadership team, without the permanent headcount.
Advisory
A standing sounding board for CMOs, CDOs and founders: monthly cadence, direct answers, and someone who has seen the film before deciding your next scene.
Let’s talk about what AI should actually do for your organisation.
Available for consulting engagements, fractional leadership and advisory work.