Gigaprojects: Delivering Strategic, Massive Transformation
Gigaprojects aren’t hard to spot: deep complexity, massive stakeholder groups, wildly ambitious scopes and a major boost to national economies. Guests discuss two gigaprojects: one a major infrastructure overhaul, the other a transformation of a historical site into a tourism destination. They talk through the biggest project management challenges they’ve faced, keeping teams aligned amid large scopes and long timelines with several handoffs, and how they build buy-in from communities affected by their projects.
Episode Overview
Gigaprojects aren’t hard to spot: deep complexity, massive stakeholder groups, wildly ambitious scopes and a major boost to national economies. We discuss two gigaprojects with:
Ryan Banas, project director for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project and VP at HNTB in Norfolk, Virginia, USA; and Chris Hall, district engineer at the Virginia Department of Transportation in Hampton, Virginia, USA: Banas and Hall discuss how their teams prepared for the years-long bridge and tunnel project, how they keep teams aligned across multiple hand-offs, and the clever ways they engage stakeholders—including community members affected by construction.
Mohammed Almutlaq, project management office VP at the Royal Commission for AlUla in Riyadh: Almutlaq shares how teams are turning the historical site of AlUla into an archaeological tourism destination. He discusses how the PMO keeps teams across portfolios aligned to a singular strategy, ways teams best communicate and keep track of progress across projects, and builds flexibility into projects through solid change management practices.
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Featured in This Episode
Ryan Banas
VP at HNTB Corporation
Ryan Banas, a VP at HNTB Corporation, moved to the Hampton Roads region in 2011 and has managed programs involving a variety of infrastructure systems including bored, immersed tube, cut and cover tunnels, moveable bridge construction and complex urban interchanges. Throughout his career, Banas has led and/or played an integral role in high-profile construction projects along the United States’ East Coast with budgets ranging from US$133 million to US$3.9 billion. He’s currently the project director for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) on the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Expansion Project—the agency’s largest-ever project.
Banas was named to the Virginia Business 500 Power List, and the Women in Transportation Seminar Hampton Roads Chapter (WTS-HRC) recognized Banas with the 2024 Ray LaHood Man of the Year Award.
Banas holds a degree in civil engineering from Case Western Reserve University.
Christopher G. Hall
Hampton Roads district engineer of VDOT
Christopher G. Hall is the Hampton Roads district engineer of VDOT, serving in this position since April 2018. He’s responsible for overseeing the roadway construction, maintenance and operations for nearly 10,000 lane miles.
A licensed professional engineer in Virginia, Hall has over 30 years of experience in leadership roles with the United States Army as an engineer officer. He’s served in leadership positions at all levels, with his last command assignment as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District Commander for the St. Louis District.
Hall earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Virginia Military Institute, a master’s degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.
Mohammed Almutlaq
Project management office (PMO) VP at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
A visionary leader and transformation management executive, Mohammed Almutlaq is the project management office (PMO) VP at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). In this role, he’s led a directive PMO responsible for more than 600 projects, 45 programs and eight portfolios, supported by over 250 professionals. Under Mohammed’s guidance, the PMO has matured into a strategic entity, implementing advanced program and portfolio management practices, revamping executive reporting and institutionalizing governance standards.
With over 15 years of experience spanning government, banking and technology sectors, Mohammed has played a fundamental role in transforming AlUla into a global destination under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Renowned for his adaptive leadership and strategic acumen, Mohammed has overseen hundreds of projects, driven organizational excellence, and earned multiple international awards for delivery and governance. He holds an MBA from Lawrence Technological University and is a Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus.
Certification PMI Construction Professional (PMI-CP)™
The PMI-CP is the only internationally recognized certification that offers an in-depth curriculum on the construction industry.
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