Young Arab Leaders

Executive Meetup with H.E. Dr. Tariq Al Gurg
2022-10-13 | Capital Club, Dubai
With education playing a pivotal role in the future of tomorrow, we were honored to have H.E. Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice Chairman of Dubai Cares, host our latest Executive Meetup. During the event H.E. was able to explain how Dubai Cares is impacting the lives of millions in developing countries and continues to play a vital role in helping achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for children and youth and promote lifelong learning by 2030. Watch the highlights video here.

Executive Meetup is a series of informal discussions hosted by prominent industry leaders, organized by Young Arab Leaders, to encourage knowledge exchange between its exclusive members to share insights and what the future holds for certain industries.

About the Speaker

HE Dr. Tariq Al Gurg was appointed as CEO of Dubai Cares in 2009 and as its Vice-Chairman most recently.
Al Gurg has enabled Dubai Cares to contribute to the evidence-base in education, leverage funding and invest in strategic relationships and programs that support the global education agenda.
Globally, Al Gurg is a founding member of the High-Level Steering Group of ‘Education Cannot Wait’ and sits on UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited Global Board and Global Leadership Council. He is also a high-level Champion of the WEF’s Reskilling Revolution, a member of the advisory board of UNESCO’s Futures of Education Commission, and the Regional Champion of the Global Partnership for Education in the Middle East. Locally, Al Gurg is the Chairman of the Global Council on SDG 4, the Commissioner General of the Dubai Cares Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, a member of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Advisory Board, a member of the UAE Committee for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid and a board member of MBRGI’s Digital School.
Al Gurg’s past experience includes 12 years at various senior management positions within the consumer and corporate banking at National Bank of Dubai (Currently known as Emirates NBD). He is a Founding Board Member and Deputy Chairman of the UAE Genetic Diseases Association. He was also a member of the UAE’s National Anti-Money Laundering Committee, which was chaired by the Governor of the UAE Central Bank.

Scalathon
2022-10-02
With a constant aim to support and empower the youth, YAL has partnered with Najahi in their upcoming Scalathon event!
This event is designed for leaders, experts, coaches and product owners, entrepreneurs, and investors looking to accelerate their growth and scale their businesses learning from worlds experts in accelerated growth and business scaling techniques. It will include volunteering where the youth can join and get involved with industry leaders and learn all about a business and grow in a one-of-a-kind experience full of powerful talks, interactive workshops, and more!
At SCALATHON you will be EQUIPPED with the powerful tools and systems you need to rapidly scale your digital and offline presence and successfully engage with your customers, as well as protect your business from whatever disruptions await us further down the line.
Invest the time alongside the world-class business growth and scaling experts who have mastered the art of breaking through your fears, limiting beliefs and mental barriers to play a much bigger game around your revenue so you can capitalize on the historic opportunities available right now!
Register to the event HERE!
Register to volunteer HERE!

Youth Innovation Roadshow
2022-09-20
Young Arab Leaders is proud to support the Youth Innovation Roadshow launched by Khaleej Times. The Youth Innovation Roadshow provides young entrepreneurs with access to life-changing opportunities to empower their talents and passion for innovation. The Forum will give youth the opportunity to come together to discuss innovative projects and propose new ideas to be implemented within the UAE ecosystem.
The Roadshow will support the Arab youth and bridge the skills gap by providing them with an opportunity to learn the latest technology/AI/innovation trends.
WHY YOU SHOULD PARTICIPATE?

To make sure the Youth have the right skills for the Future of Work.
Opportunity for students winning the Innovation Challenge to be interviewed and profiled in Khaleej Times
Receive Innovation Challenge certificate to recognize their participation by Khaleej Times
Explore options to join Khaleej Times Internship Program to Inspire, Innovate and Lead

Register NOW!

Global CIO Forum 2022 Roadshow
2022-09-15
With the common goal of empowering innovation in businesses, Young Arab Leaders joins hands with Global CIO Forum, and comes on board as the Association Partner for The World CIO 200-UAE Edition.

Join the largest global gathering of CIOs. Revisit your digital transformation strategy and rewrite digital mandates in the must-attend World CIO 200 Summit 2022.
Experience a technology summit like none other at WCS200. Away from the day-to-day routines, delegates stand an opportunity to focus on key insights shared by world-class speakers, analysts, thought-leaders etc. that only helps you build your relation with them but also discover opportunities that will help you drive your business forward.a

Executive Meetup with Abdulaziz B. Al Loughani
2022-08-23 | Address Dubai Mall
During our latest Executive Meetup hosted by Abdulaziz B. Al Loughani, Chairman and CEO at Floward, the YAL Members had an insight into the state of e-commerce in the MENA Region. With Floward being the go-to online flowers and gifts delivery destination in MENA and UK, Abdulaziz was able to discuss Floward’s growth journey, and how Floward is launching initiatives like the Floward community’s hub to engage and build relationships with its clients and aspiring florists.

With Floward’s constant growth, topics such as Floward’s different challenges faced as a startup as well as how to blend experience and competition while maintaining an excellent user experience were discussed. Floward’s strategy is to continue to differentiate itself in the industry and seek ways to bring clients innovative experiences and features that meet their evolving needs. Watch the highlights video here.

Power Lunch with H.E. Khalfan Belhoul
2022-08-23 | Dubai Future Accelerators
Dubai, UAE, 20 September 2022: Young Arab Leaders (YAL) and Darwinbox, the fastest-growing HR tech unicorn, hosted a Power Lunch at the Dubai Future Accelerators auditorium in Emirates Tower recently. At the event, members from YAL and the Darwinbox team discussed how digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation can transform employee experience and efficiency at workplaces across the UAE.
The lunch was led by H.E Khalfan Belhoul, CEO, Dubai Future Foundation, and saw YAL members from various industries come together under one roof. Watch the highlights video here.
At the onset, YAL Board member, Majed Al Suwaidi, welcomed all the attendees and thanked H.E. for attending the event and making it a memorable gathering. YAL member and General Manager, Joint Venture Projects at Emaar, Fadi El Borno, introduced H.E to all the speakers and moderated the discussion.
Kicking off the event, Chaitanya Peddi, Co-founder of Darwinbox, shared his journey of building Darwinbox, the value of people-centric innovation as well as how it is rapidly growing in the MENA region. He said: “Today, the most valuable asset for any company is its talent. As a global technology hub, the UAE is a test bed for advanced and emerging technologies like AI, and it is time that we leverage it within our workplaces too. This is why, at Darwinbox, we are committed to introducing new-age digital employee experiences for enterprises across the UAE and the wider MENA region.”
“Our best-in-class AI-powered HR tech platform is custom-built keeping the local context and enterprise needs in mind. As we rapidly expand in the MENA region, we proactively look for opportunities to engage with young Arabs and understand their expectations both as business leaders and employees. We are grateful to YAL for offering us such a platform and look forward to co-hosting such events in the future,” added Peddi.
Speaking at the event, H.E Khalfan Belhoul, said: “AI is becoming an important cornerstone for organizations looking to innovate and maximize their potential. However in order to make the best of AI innovation, it is crucial that enterprises continue investing in research and development; by investing in R&D a business is investing in their future capabilities.”
“At DFF, our vision is to define the future in the present and through our work over the years, we have been able to create world-class innovation platforms for ideas to take shape. Through entities such as YAL, it is exciting to interact with creative and talented minds and hear their thoughts about integrating human thought and innovation with AI,” he added.
Bringing together entrepreneurs from different industries and changemakers in the region, the event also provided an opportunity to network and explore new avenues for collaboration.
About Darwinbox
Founded in 2015, Darwinbox is a global HR tech leader that empowers enterprises to better manage their talent with new-age employee experiences and disruptive AI-powered technology.
In the MENA region, Darwinbox works with Alef Education, Retailo, Mobily infotech, Seepco, Eyewa, Shalina Healthcare, and Foodics along with select operations of Al Rajhi Bank and the Lulu Group. The company also serves leading international brands such as Nivea, Starbucks, Dominos, Sephora, Swarovski, Adidas, Zara, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, AXA, Tokio, Cigna, and T-Systems.
Rated as #1 customers’ choice on Gartner Peer Insights 2022, Darwinbox is trusted by over 2 million employees from more than 700 enterprises across 90 countries. Darwinbox debuted in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant (MQ) for Cloud HCM Suites For 1,000+ employee enterprises. It is the fastest HR tech company to become a unicorn and is backed by global investors like Salesforce Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and TCV among others.
More at www.darwinbox.com

YAL Ramadan Iftar
2022-04-19 | Address Fountain Views
With the rise of entrepreneurship in the UAE as part as its long-term vision, Young Arab Leaders (YAL) and Darwinbox, Asia’s fastest growing HR Technology platform, were proud to host the annual YAL Ramadan Iftar in the presence of H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul, Minister of Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Ministry of Economy, UAE. The event served as an evening of celebration and thanksgiving for the YAL Exclusive Members Network, YAL Changemakers, Industry and Regional Experts, who have extended support and friendship to YAL throughout the years. The Iftar took place in the Ballroom at Address Fountain Views on Tuesday, 19th of April 2022.
H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul delivered a keynote speech to set context and explain how the UAE, a regional trade and commerce centre, is working toward becoming a global hub for entrepreneurs. He also shared the latest insights on the entrepreneurial scene in the UAE. The session was moderated by YAL Member and General Manager at Emaar, Fady El Borno, who also serves as a Board Advisor to Darwinbox. In a ballroom full of entrepreneurs and changemakers, H.E. Dr. Ahmad Belhoul addressed several questions addressing various opportunities, challenges and changes in the entrepreneurial world in a post-covid era. Chaitanya Peddi, Co-Founder of Darwinbox, who was present at the Iftar shared his inspiring journey as an entrepreneur in scaling Darwinbox as the latest HR technology unicorn in the last 6 years.
Beyond the Iftar, the gathering also provided an opportunity for everyone to network and explore new ways of collaboration. YAL seeks to leverage the capabilities and expertise of its strong regional network of members in order to catalyse the entrepreneurial and professional development of the next generation of leaders in the Arab world through mentorship and educational initiatives.
Chaitanya said, “We are proud to continue demonstrating our commitment to the Middle East. One of the things that sets us apart from other HR tech providers is our ability to understand the regional nuances and incorporate them into our product to ‘localize it to the regional context’ without losing the global appeal. A special occasion like the Ramadan Iftar allows us to understand these nuances better while helping us blend into the cultural fabric of the nation. Thank you YAL and the entire YAL community for accepting us wholeheartedly.” Watch the highlight video here.

About Darwinbox:
Darwinbox is Asia’s fastest-growing mobile-first, AI-powered HR technology platform. It enables enterprises to empower its workforce across the entire employee lifecycle (hire-to-retire) with a smarter, simpler and engaging experience.
Today, Darwinbox powers digital HR for 1.5 million+ employees in 90+ countries across 650+ global enterprises including leading brands such as Nivea, Starbucks, Dominos, Sephora, Adidas, AXA, Cigna, Noon, Lulu group among others.
Rated the highest globally among HR Tech players on Gartner, Darwinbox is a Unicorn backed by leading investors such as TCV, Salesforce, Sequoia, Lightspeed.

Executive Meetup with Omran Sharaf
2022-03-03 | Capital Club, Dubai

YAL Internship Program
2021-06-24
We are proud to introduce the YAL Internship Program (YIP) that aims to provide the youth, students, and graduates the opportunities to gain relevant skills and experiences in their chosen fields through a wide range of placements with selected organizations and companies within the YAL network. YIP connects employers with interns who will have a direct opportunity to be trained and developed for increased chances of employability.

In My Shoes Series
2021-06-01
We are proud to introduce our new project!
In My Shoes is an original IGTV Series by Young Arab Leaders that will serve as a platform for YAL speakers to talk
about their challenges, lessons, and experiences during uncertain times. In My Shoes will feature inspirational stories
about remarkable startups in the UAE and how their positivity and determination brought them to succeed in their
businesses and to lead fulfilling lives.
1st Edition
Session 1 – YAL Speaker Ehtesham Puthur, Co-Founder & CEO of Junkbot

CEO & Co-Founder of Junkbot Robotics. Ehtesham led a team to transform Junkbot from an idea to a community of 50,000
makers around the world. Junkbot kits are used by 500+ schools in MENA region. Ehtesham and Junkbot team have launched
their B2C platform skillplay.co to help MENA region prepare for the future skills. Junkbot is a DIY robotic kit that
transforms household objects into unique robots that can be programmed for a variety of functions. Ehtesham shared the
story of Junkbot, the challenges faced during the pandemic and the lessons learned. Full interview
Session 2 – YAL Speaker Majed Halawi, Vice-President of Pure Harvest Smart Farms

Majed Halawi is responsible for managing Pure Harvest’s expansion efforts including corporate development, technical
design, and construction/program management. He began his career in engineering and then turned to management consulting
at the Boston Consulting Group. Pure Harvest is a technology-enabled agribusiness focused on local, sustainable
cultivation of premium quality. Majed talks about how Pure Harvest has grown and managed to adapt to the challenges
brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. Full interview
Session 3 – YAL Speaker Abdallah Abu Sheikh, Co-Founder and CEO of Rizek

Abdallah Abu-Sheikh is a Jordanian entrepreneur and a visionary pioneer in inventing digital technologies for
cultivating human resources, connecting human skills, and enabling youth with numerous empowerment programs and
employment initiatives. Rizek is the first local super app for on-demand services. Abdallah talks about the challenges
Rizek faced, the lessons learned and more! Full interview
Session 4 – YAL Speaker Mona Ataya, Founder and CEO of Mumzworld

Mona has managed to grow Mumzworld from a business plan on paper to a leading an enviable brand reaching more than 2
million mothers across the region in 7 years. Founded in 2011, Mumzworld has pioneered a revolutionary and gold standard
e-commerce shopping experience for all things mother, baby and child in the ME region. . Mona talks about the growth of
Mumzworld during the pandemic and how they became the go-to destination for all things mother, baby and child. Full interview
2nd Edition
Session 1 – YAL Speaker Mohamed Marwan, Head of Strategic Initiatives at Almentor.net

Mohamed has over 19 years of experience as a cross-functional and business transformation leader. He succeeded in
building strong teams, effective processes, and morphing platforms that consistently sustained the test of time.
Almentor.net is a leading e-learning digital platform, Mohamed explains how they reached to this point and how their
content is strategized to understand the Arab world and it’s needs. Full interview
Session 2 – YAL Speaker Omar Farooqui, Founder and Executive Chairman at Coded Minds

Omar is an entrepreneur, investor and startup enthusiast. Wanting to disrupt the educational industry from the ground
up, not just through pedagogy but also price, through his vision of merging public and private education as one. With
this mission, he created Coded Minds in 2017. Omar’s previous ventures were Green Sands Equity out of San Francisco and
previously CapInvest (latterly CI Holdings), which was a joint initiative with the asset management arm of United
Overseas Bank of Singapore. Full interview
Session 3 – YAL Speaker Sallyann Della Casa, Chief Identity Hacker at GLEAC

Sallyann Della Casa is one of the 4% of women globally who has a patent pending method and
algorithm​(for measuring of tskills)a​s a sole inventor.Sallyann holds degrees and certifications in
Law, Organizational Behavior and Urban Planning. She speaks five languages and is a published author.
Her education spans the globe from Harvard University to Franklin College to University of
Toronto.Full interview

3rd Edition
Session 1 – YMP Graduates Startup, EFATE

Get to know more about EFATE, a specialized company in managing and collecting e-waste that aims to achieve
sustainability, as well as saving the environment by building a link between the e-waste consumers and the recyclers.
EFATE will support in placing the UAE as a leader in the field of recycling. In a 2019 four-week pilot campaign 1100kg
of e-waste was collected, and the 2020 target is to collect and process 100 tons of e-waste. Full interview
www.efateuae.com
Session 2 – YMP Graduates Startup, CyberHero

Find out all about Cyber Hero, a formal awareness program, aimed at training users of the potential threats to an
organization’s information and data, and how to avoid potential risks of losses. Its goals are to lower the
organization’s attack surface; empower users to take personal responsibility for protecting the organization’s
information, and to enforce the organization’s policies and procedures of the organization to protect the data. Full interview
www.thecyberhero.com
Session 3 – YMP Graduates Startup, Washing Space

Get to know more about Washing Space, an online laundry marketplace that provides quick service, fast delivery,
reasonable price and traceability within a defined area. Using this technology, the marketplace will aggregate laundry
service providers allowing customers to choose from a range of service-rated laundry businesses. Full interview
www.washingspace.com
4th Edition
Session 1 – YAL Speaker Hanan Chaaibi, Managing Director at The Green Spoon Management Consultancies

For the 4th edition of In My Shoes, we had the pleasure of having Hanan Chaaibi, Managing Director at The Green Spoon
Management Consultancies, in a sit-down interview where she was able to share the ever-growing story of an initiative
committed to raising awareness about and challenging ESG (environmental, social, governance) and sustainability issues
of complex global systems. Full interview
https://thegreenspoon.org/

Session 2 – YAL Speaker Namrata Budhraja, Co-Founder at Shift Eco

With sustainability being at the forefront of the conversation, we had the pleasure of interviewing Namrata Budhraja,
Co-Founder at Shift Eco, a platform that curates impactful eco-friendly products. Full interview
www.shifteco.ae

4th Ibtikar Competition
2021-04-27
We are pleased to announce our partnership with HCT for another successful Ibtikar Competition. With a total of 15 competing teams, the Ibtikar panelof judges was fully represented by 5 YAL members! Ibtikar is a challengingbusiness innovation competition that allows students from all divisions toleverage the tools they have learned in the innovation and entrepreneurshipcourse in order to come up with innovative ideas that solve real-lifeproblems. Congratulations to the winners!

About the Judges
YAL Board Member Saad Al Rubaiaan
Saad is a Kuwaiti professional who has served previously for both privateand government sectors in Dubai and is now running his boutique agency,CYLKA, which specializes in government communications and CSR advisory. Heserved as a coach and judge at several regional awards, including KAFOinitiative by Al Diwan Al Amiri in Kuwait, UNDP-World Bank’s Hackathon,Sharjah Chamber’s Entreprenovaion award and the International Association ofBusiness Communicators.

YAL Member Alanood Alfeel
Alanood is a seasoned Marketing and Communications professional that hastaken on roles across global agencies, namely Edelman and Ogilvy andgovernment entities (PR consultant for Mubadala, ADEK, OBAD and Head of Marketing at KHDA). She was a driving force in launching landmark hotels(Marina Bay Sands), international events (Strata, Mubdala World Tennis Championships, FIFA Club World Cup, and Formula 1 Abu Dhabi) and TV shows(Coke Studio).

YAL Member Helal Lootah
Helal Lootah is a New York Qualified Attorney and the Co-founder of Lune Technologies Ltd, a DIFC based Fintech startup focused on facilitatingalternative Social Savings and peer-to-peer transfer solutions. Before Lune,Helal served as a Case Manager in the Dubai Courts and was a member of itsYouth Council.

YAL Member Bassém Banna
Bassém Banna is the top performing executive with over 14 years ofexperience in several key functional areas including: Education Technology,Corporate Learning design, Enterprise Sales & Market penetration,Entrepreneurship & Youth Development programs. Bassém is acommercial and strategy leader with an entrepreneurial mindset and passionfor customer excellence.

YAL Member Imad Atwi
Imad Atwi is a strategist and execution leader with 14+ years of experienceacross MENA, SEA, and Europe. He has been involved in some of the leadingmega projects and company launches in the region, advising governments,technology/telecom companies, and startups on national digital agendas,innovation strategies, ICT policies, launch management, emergingtechnologies, due diligence, partnerships, and operating models.
