With the UAE being the first Arab nation to launch an interplanetary mission, Young Arab Leaders (YAL) and Darwinbox were delighted to welcome Omran Sharaf, Project Director of the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), to host the YAL Executive Meetup attended by the YAL Exclusive Members!”Network at the Amal Room in Capital Club on March 3, 2022. The 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.

The initial aim of this National project was to shift the UAE from being users to developers of space technology that could serve as an entity that will act as a catalyst to enhance the science and technology sector. The Hope Probe mission also served to represent a meaningful and inspiring message to the Arab Youth that ‘If the UAE can reach Mars in less than 50 years, you are capable of anything’.

By developing the future of the UAE through this mission, multiple changes have been made to existing sectors such as academic, economic, and scientific to introduce and explain the Space Program. Furthermore, the Ministry of Advanced Sciences and the UAE Science Councils have been established which emphasizes the importance of the message behind this mission.

In addition, space exploration has introduced new initiatives such as the UAE!s next mission to Venus followed by a visit to some of the Asteroids belt. This exploration will have a significant impact and message to inspire and motivate the Emirati and UAE Startups Ecosystem to keep going.

Leading a mission that would normally take up to 12 years but completing it in 6 years is truly inspiring and to quote Omran Sharaf: “Failure is an option but failure to progress is not an option.”

Jayant Paleti, Darwinbox Co-founder, who joined Omran and YAL members for the hour-long event, said “We need role models who have been there and done it for the younger generations to aspire, dream and achieve. I understand this well because 6 years ago, Darwinbox was only a vision – to help enterprises empower its workforce across the entire lifecycle (hire-to-retire) with a smarter, simpler and engaging experience. But it is the right partnerships and support from leaders, experts and customers that has made Darwinbox a unicorn and most-preferred HCM platform for 1.5mn employees across 650 enterprises today.” Watch the full highlights 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.