Mansour Bakheet: The Architect of Belonging
When Bakheet embarks on a new design project, he responds to the site's context and the history of the location. He doesn't see design as a decorative layer; to him, it's the fundamental core of everything he does.
Mansour didn’t set out to build a real estate brand; he embarked on a mission to provide a platform for local stories to flourish and gain recognition. Although he is an architect, his expertise extends beyond that single forte.
Huna’s focus is less on physical workspaces or food concepts and more on creating meaningful community impact and curated activations. The core of Huna is to foster creative communities – just like Al Jalees Culture Club – that over time would grow and contribute to making our cities more vibrant, engaging, and truly lovable. – Mansour Bakheet
Huna, founded and led by Mansour Bakheet, is a platform that curates experiences for makers and storytellers. Bakheet’s vision is to create an ambitious plan that connects our great cities through remarkable shared experiences crafted by talented individuals. The space embraces local content, original stories, and unique concepts to build a community of people who prioritize a fulfilling life. At the heart of Huna lies hospitality, providing a stimulating environment for individuals to dine, work, and socialize. Through food, art, and culture, Huna fosters discourse and discovery, offering intimate conversations, talks, and live performances where ideas can flourish.
Al Jalees found a home in Huna in our recent expansion to Riyadh back in September 2024. Bakheet was genuinely excited for us to succeed in Riyadh and welcomed our cultural establishment to Huna.
I usually begin with a clear, focused purpose. With Huna, that purpose has always been to democratize real estate for homegrown stories—whether it’s F&B concepts or small businesses. – Mansour Bakheet
This designer not only created beautiful architecture, he built meaning in a world where most businesses are optimized solely on profit.
Bakheet and his team constantly ask themselves a crucial question, which serves as their key performance indicator (KPI): Did this brand or business genuinely gain from being a part of Huna? Huna’s primary objective has always been to democratize real estate, giving voice to homegrown stories.
Think about who that question is really for. The first-time café owner who cannot afford a standalone location. The young designer who needs a studio but not a five-year lease. The cultural platform that needed a second city before it could prove it deserved one. These are not Huna’s customers in the traditional sense. They are its reason for existing.
As a leader, his main priority is to connect with his team, convince them of the value of the mission, maintain high motivation, and encourage company-wide collaboration. This approach allowed all departments to gain business knowledge and proactively track KPIs, similar to asset managers.
"Purpose is the meaning, the nice idea, but structure is the machine that sustains it. – Mansour Bakheet
Al Jalees hosted over 25 events at Huna, and we are the vibrant evidence of Mansour's mission. Alongside us are the Neo-Cinéphiles Club, Exit Thamanya, Couplet, and many more passion projects that come to life at Huna.
At it's core, Huna carries a deep understanding of what it means for passionate community owners to succeed. Here is what Bakheet has to say about it:
“Culture operates at scale and sits at the core of how communities, neighborhoods, identity, and even national pride are defined. But when it comes to scaling cultural experiences, you need to design a financial framework, paired with a physical platform, that enables small stories to compound over time and collectively deliver a larger, cohesive message.”
Bakheet's framework serves the growth of the invaluable creative communities. Design is the first imprint that preceeds action and it runs through everything he does. As the largest platform for local talents in Saudi Arabia, Huna values passionate individuals and strives to find that very trait in its employees. While some founders focus on the product they’ve built, Bakheet places greater emphasis the stakeholders who will benefit from it.
