The program empowered more than 450 Emirati and Arab women, equipping them with critical skills in leadership, problem-solving, and digital innovation to excel in today’s competitive work landscape. Participants attended workshops on topics such as time management and strategic leadership, while a capstone case study titled Driving Sustainability Through Digital Innovation, allowed them to apply these skills to real-world challenges.

“The Nomu Al Ghurair Program is a testament to our commitment to empowering women as architects of change,” said Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation. “By equipping women with the tools to reach their full potential, we are not just transforming lives—we are igniting a movement that drives progress across the region. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), this program enables women to lead, innovate, and accelerate sustainable development.”

Sarah Sefiane, Founder & CEO of Skyrize Partners, said: “Dubai continues to be a global leader in innovation, and it has been inspiring to see the women in this cohort engage in forward-thinking topics like technology. This program has proven to be a unique and successful platform for women to grow, learn, and connect with international corporations. We are excited to see what they will accomplish after the program.”

Nadya Abdulla Kamali, UAE’s country managing director at Accenture, said: “Accenture is delighted to partner with AGF and the Nomu Al Ghurair Women Empowerment Program to upskill the region’s women in today’s most critical competencies. Such initiatives will open opportunities for them to pursue careers that can make a difference in their own lives and in the wider community. As technology enablers, we are continually aiming to improve efficiencies for businesses and young professionals.”

Participants showcased their innovative solutions to a panel of industry leaders at the program’s conclusion, demonstrating their ability to integrate sustainability with digital innovation.

The Nomu Al Ghurair Women Empowerment Program is a flagship initiative that aims to foster leadership and personal growth among young women in the UAE and across the Arab region. By equipping participants with market-relevant skills, the program contributes to building a skilled and capable workforce for the future.

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Headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., QuSecure is a privately held company founded in 2019. QuSecure’s QuProtect software offers an end-to-end quantum security-as-a-service architecture that combines zero-trust, next-generation quantum-resilient technology and crypto agility to protect networks, cloud systems, edge devices and satellite communications against today’s cyberattacks and future quantum threats, all with minimal disruption to existing systems.

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“There is unprecedented interest in all areas of AI, and the substantial investment we are making in our Data & AI practice will help our clients move from interest to action to value, and in a responsible way with clear business cases,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “Companies that build a strong foundation of AI by adopting and scaling it now, where the technology is mature and delivers clear value, will be better positioned to reinvent, compete and achieve new levels of performance. Our clients have complex environments, and at a time when the technology is changing rapidly, our deep understanding of ecosystem solutions allows us to help them navigate quickly and cost-effectively to make smart decisions.”

Today’s announcement includes a range of investments that Accenture is making to help companies develop the new strategies, operating models, business cases and digital core architecture they will need to capitalize on AI innovation:

• Accenture will invest in assets, industry solutions, ventures, acquisitions, talent and ecosystem partnerships, which will deepen and develop new skills and capabilities across diagnostic, predictive and generative AI.

• The Data & AI practice will double its AI talent to 80,000 professionals through a mix of hiring, acquisitions and training.

• The new AI Navigator for Enterprise is a generative AI-based platform that will help clients define business cases, make decisions, navigate AI journeys, choose architectures and understand algorithms and models to drive value responsibly. Building on Accenture’s own efforts, the platform will include assets designed to accelerate responsible AI practices and compliance programs.

• Accenture will create accelerators for data and AI readiness across 19 distinct industries as well as pre-built industry and functional models that take advantage of new generative AI capabilities.

• To advance uses of generative AI, its Center for Advanced AI is dedicated to maximizing the value of this technology across clients and within Accenture. This includes extensive R&D and investments to reimagine service delivery using generative and other emerging AI capabilities.

• Accenture will invest in new and existing relationships across its industry-leading cloud, data and AI ecosystems to reinvent the type of work being delivered to clients. For example, developers using pre-built models to enhance prototyping or creators building dynamic virtual environments that can adapt with real-world changes.

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The Accenture Technology Vision 2023, “When Atoms Meet Bits: The Foundations of Our New Reality,” explores the technology trends underpinning the convergence of the physical and digital, as businesses look to accelerate enterprise reinvention in the here and now.

“The next decade will be defined by three mega technology trends—cloud, metaverse and AI—which collectively will collapse the distance of our digital and physical worlds,” said Paul Daugherty, group chief executive of Accenture Technology. “While generative AI will have far-reaching impact, leaders must dive in now to achieve its full promise, as it will require significant investments in data, people, and customizing foundation models to meet organizations’ unique needs.

The meteoric rise of ChatGPT has captivated the world’s attention on the power of generative AI to augment human capability. Accenture estimates as much as 40% of all working hours will be supported or augmented by language-based AI. Among business leaders, 98% of respondents agree AI foundation models will play an important role in their organization’s strategies over the next three to five years.Accenture’s Technology Vision 2023 identifies four trends that are key to unlocking this new shared reality:

1. Generative AI: Advancing human capability as a co-pilot, creative partner or advisor, nearly all executives agree that generative AI will spark significant creativity and innovation (98%) and usher in a new era of enterprise intelligence (95%).
2. Digital identity: Ability to authenticate digital users and assets—the foundation for traversing digital and physical worlds—is now seen by 85% of executives as a strategic business imperative, not just a technical issue.
3. My data, your data, our data: AI cannot reach its full potential until companies figure out data. That means breaking down data silos and modernizing their data foundations. In fact, 90% of executives believe data is becoming a key competitive differentiator within organizations and across industries.
4. Our forever frontier: Feedback loop between science and technology is getting faster, with each accelerating the advancement of the other, in ways that 75% of respondents believe could begin to unlock the world’s grand challenges.

Building on years of research and client work, Accenture has established a company-wide team—the Generative AI and Large Language Model (LLM) Center of Excellence, bringing together 1,600 professionals dedicated to generative AI and leveraging the depth and experience of more than 40,000 AI and data professionals across Accenture. To help guide and inform business leaders, Accenture has published “A New Era of Generative AI for Everyone,” an in-depth study of generative AI/LLM that provides actionable insights on how leaders can best use this disruptive technology.

For 23 years, Accenture has taken a systematic look across the enterprise landscape to identify technology trends with the highest likelihood of disrupting businesses and industries. For more information on this year’s report, visit www.accenture.com/technologyvision

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The winning bidder can use the time with the industry expert to gain work-related knowledge and advice, solve problems or even try to co-create a new project that can be monetized. The knowledge gained from the discussion can also be minted into a utility NFT that could be co-owned by the buyer and the industry expert. The first round of bidding will include a group of 25 experts from industries including Fintech, Metaverse, Sustainability, Data, and others.

GLEAC recently joined the Hub71 community, accessing its network of partners and investors, and benefiting from its business-friendly environment and strong talent base. This first of its kind use for NFTs builds on Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s ambitions to embrace innovative technologies and be at the forefront of exporting transformative concepts to the world.

Sallyann Della Casa, Founder of GLEAC, said “We are proud to launch a unique patent-pending method that will disrupt the way we exchange knowledge, providing our users with on-demand peer-to-peer and peer-to-expert mentorship, and allowing them to thrive in the workplace.”

Some of the experts that will be available during the first round include:

●    Arvind Saraf (India) – Vice-President of Engineering at Drishti, a data manufacturing company.
●    Lars Rottweiler (Germany) – Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Mbanq, a Fintech banking company that operates banks for clients using SaaS technology.
●    Nick Rosa (UK) – The Head of Metaverse Strategy Accenture Europe, advising some of the world’s biggest companies on their entry into the Metaverse.

Starting 15 October 2022, users can bid on a Lovely Human NFT for a chance to spend time and be a part of a community of well-known leaders, human dynamos, and game changers.

In the meantime, the exclusive whitelist to access the NFTS before going public is now open with a few fixed priced NFTs only listed at $25k. The whitelist access will provide buyers with the opportunity to resell the artwork of the expert’s image, receive additional time with the expert in 2023, gain VIP access to a community group with the industry experts, the ability to tokenize and monetize the conversation with experts, and collaborate with them on projects.

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Under the theme of ‘Tomorrow Today – What will the next decade bring?’, the ‘hackathon’ is calling upon the global community of creators and developers to showcase their creativity and innovation. Participants will be challenged to use augmented reality to identify how modern technologies can improve various sectors, such as transportation.

The Spark AR challenge aims to empower programmers with a variety of digital skills and train them to use programming languages in line with national efforts to empower them and support their participation in the digital transformation of the UAE.

Two key challenge tracks by Emirates Airline and Accenture will shape the hackathon. Participants will be tasked to create AR effects around the theme of ‘Mobility of Tomorrow’ for Emirates Airline and ‘Opportunities of the Future’ for Accenture.

The winners’ creations will appear on the official social media accounts of Emirates Airline and Accenture. The participants will also get a chance to win cash prizes totaling more than $50,000, in addition to attending workshops hosted by Meta that will refine participants’ skills in cooperation with the best augmented reality developers in the world.

For more information or to register for the global Spark AR Hackathon, visit https://sparkar.lenslist.com

The ‘hackathon’ runs from 17 June to 1 July. Winners will be announced on 7 July.

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According to the Accenture Technology Vision 2022, “Meet Me in the Metaverse: The Continuum of Technology and Experience Reshaping Business,” businesses are racing toward a future that is very different from the one they were designed to operate in — as technologies, such as extended reality, blockchain, digital twins and edge computing, are converging to reshape human experiences.

To help organizations take advantage of this opportunity, Accenture is launching the Accenture Metaverse Continuum business group. The new group will be led by Paul Daugherty, group chief executive – Technology and chief technology officer at Accenture and David Droga, CEO and creative chairman of Accenture Interactive.

“The next generation of the internet is unfolding and will drive a new wave of digital transformation far greater than what we’ve seen to date, transforming the way we all live and work,” said Daugherty. “Our vision of the metaverse as a continuum challenges prevailing, narrower views and highlights why organizations must act today, or find themselves operating in worlds designed by, and for, someone else.”

As part of the report, Accenture surveyed more than 4,600 business and technology leaders across 23 industries in 35 countries including the UAE. At this early stage, 71% of executives believe the metaverse will have a positive impact on their organization and 42% believe it will be breakthrough or transformational.

According to the same report, 70% of surveyed consumers agree that they are spending substantially more time online. In the UAE, this number is even higher – at 84%, in comparison to pre-pandemic levels.  Moreover, in the UAE – 97% of sampled executives (98% globally) agree that emerging technologies are enabling their organization to have a broader and more ambitious vision.

“We are recognized as an early leader in metaverse-related capabilities, with 600 patent filings and more than a decade of experience,” added Droga. “Our new business group combines these capabilities with the creative strengths of Accenture Interactive, with teams of innovators and creators introducing new applications in the decentralized environment of the metaverse.”

Accenture also operates its own metaverse, the Nth floor, where the company’s people participate in new hire orientation and immersive learning or meet and socialize as teams. This fiscal year, the company expects 150,000 or more new hires will work in the metaverse on their first day.

Daugherty added, “As the line between people’s physical and digital lives further blurs, organizations have the opportunity and obligation now to build a responsible metaverse — addressing issues like trust, sustainability, personal safety, privacy, responsible access and use, diversity and more. The actions and choices they make today will set the stage for the future.”

The Technology Vision 2022 report identifies four key trends that companies will need to address:

• WebMe: Putting the Me in Metaverse – Enterprise strategies are built for the internet of today, a digital world where platforms often lack interoperability and data portability. Metaverse and Web3 are poised to reshape the internet; rather than it being a disparate collection of sites and apps, looking ahead, the metaverse will lead to a persistent 3D environment in which moving from one “place” to another will be as simple as walking from one room to another. 97% of UAE executives, compared to 95% globally believe that future digital platforms need to offer unified experiences, enabling interoperability of customers’ data across different platforms and spaces.
• Programmable World: Our Planet, Personalized – As emerging technologies such as 5G, ambient computing, augmented reality and smart materials advance, digital environments will be increasingly woven into the fabric of our physical world. These environments will reshape not just how people engage with worlds, but also redefine everything built in it, how people sense and interact and the control they have over it. Tellingly, 92% of executives – 100% of UAE executives, agree that leading organizations will push the boundaries of the virtual world to make it more real, increasing the need for persistence and seamless navigation between the digital and physical worlds.

• The Unreal: Making Synthetic, Authentic – Businesses and environments are increasingly supported by AI-generated data that convincingly reflects the physical world. More than ever before, AI is top-of-mind for businesses, as companies and consumers alike shift away from considering what is real versus fake, to what is authentic—not just in terms of a company’s content and algorithms but its entire brand. With the unreal world about to become reality, now is the time for leaders to ready their businesses. Already, 96% of executives globally, 98% in the UAE, report that their organizations are committed to authenticating the origin of their data and genuine use of AI.
• Computing the Impossible: New Machines, New Possibilities – The emergence of a new class of machines is empowering organizations across industries to stretch the boundaries of what computers can solve. Tools like quantum computing and biology-inspired computing are allowing businesses to solve problems that may be too expensive, inefficient, or flat out impossible for traditional computing. As “grand challenges” become trivial operations, how enterprises compete, provide value and partner will radically change; nearly all (94%) executives vs. 90% in the UAE agree that their organization’s long-term success will depend on the next generation computing they leverage to solve the seemingly intractable problems not addressable by classical computing.

Forward-looking companies are simultaneously navigating the uncertainty of today’s markets while beginning to compete in the Metaverse Continuum. For example, working with Microsoft and Accenture, Mars is embracing digital twins, which is one of the foundational elements of the metaverse, to reduce waste, increase speed and capacity, and empower its associates to make real-time decisions across its supply chain. Mars is now extending this concept to product development with digital simulations factoring in variability, such as climate and disruptions, and maintaining greater visibility from the point of origin to place of consumption.

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The inaugural edition of the C3 I.D.E.A Accelerator was launched in December 2021 and has attracted the interest of more than 175 startups, directly focusing on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access, as well as the support of four strategic corporate partners: Accenture, Standard Chartered, ENGIE and Discovery.

Alexis Lecanuet, Managing Director at Accenture ME, highlighted Accenture’s commitment to advancing the Diversity and Inclusion Agenda and to drive positive change both within his own organisation and the communities that Accenture has a presence in. “We are very proud to be working with C3 and the 10 inspirational entrepreneurs to seed the energy and optimism that we have towards advancing the Inclusion and Diversity agenda. This partnership is another example of our commitment to this cause and being a responsible citizen”, he said.

The purpose of this program is to accelerate startups that are creating a positive impact within the I.D.E.A space and that are focused on supporting women, youth and people of determination and contributing to financial inclusion. 10 startups were selected to participate in the accelerator program, with the majority being led by women founders:

• Bipolar Buddy (UK): Bipolar Buddy is a mobile app that supports patients of bipolar disorder to achieve remission. The app uses artificial intelligence mood tracking, assessing the variety of triggers that affect bipolar disorder in order to create meaningful predictions about mood changes.
• Businessita (Egypt): Businessita is an organisation that works on the empowerment of women in the business field through skills and talent development, business consultations, and resources directory.
• Ground Z (UAE): Ground Z is a digital platform for high school students that reduces the achievement gap by transforming their mobile devices into portable experiential labs.
• I Hear You (UAE): I Hear You is a mobile app designed to connect communities by translating sign language to audio/text and vice versa.
• ImInclusive (UAE): ImInclusive provides end-to-end recruitment and placement support to People of Determination, acting as refuel stop prior to joining the next great career opportunity.
• Playbook Ltd. (Bahrain): PlayBook is an edutainment platform that activates the power of storytelling and shared experiences to prepare women to tackle their pain points to achieve growth through masterclasses led by inspirationally influential women who shattered the glass ceiling.
• Robotna (Jordan): Robotna is a social company that aims to enhance thinking skills, spread future science, and integrate it with academic subjects through several products, services and training programs for different age groups using modern technology.
• Safe Space (UAE): Safe Space is a forward-thinking mental wellbeing service provider, offering a safe space to have open conversations, to learn about your mental health and wellbeing, and get regular support from qualified therapists, counsellors, and coaches.
• Savii (UAE and Bahrain): Savii is the first neobank that speaks to Gen Z and their lifestyle – a mobile-first generation of savvy, entrepreneurial individuals who have never lived in a world without apps or immediate access to the internet.
• Siira (Lebanon): Siira aims to educate and increase awareness on mental health struggles in the Arab world. The platform targets the youth and professionals aged between 20 – 50, who suffer from daily stressors related to parenting, relationships, work and individual life challenges.

Daxita Rajcoomar, Chief Sustainability Officer at ENGIE, reiterated the significance of including more women and entrepreneurs in the space of energy and sustainability: “At ENGIE, we believe that collaborating and co-creating solutions with entrepreneurs, women and youth is key to solving pressing global climate change issues, and we are looking forward to achieving that through our support to programs like the C3 I.D.E.A Accelerator”, she said.

The 10 participants have now kicked off their learning journey with C3 experts and trainers on various pillars, including: Impact, Strategy, Business, Governance and Talent. The startup founders will present their final pitches to a panel of judges and compete for the final equity-free cash prize and pro-bono support from Accenture, at the Accenture Exchange at Dubai Expo 2020 in late February 2022.

The event was covered by C3’s Media for Good Partner: Discovery, who will support in raising awareness about the importance of the impact of the participating entrepreneurs, “It is our pleasure, as the media for good partners of the C3 I.D.E.A Accelerator to tell the story of the entrepreneurs’ journey and to highlight the positive impact they are creating in the world”, said Francesco Perta, Senior Business Development and Distribution Director, MEA, Turkey and Europe, from Discovery.

C3 Founder, Medea Nocentini welcomed the 10 startups to the C3 I.D.E.A Accelerator – powered by Accenture and said “We at C3, along with our partners at Accenture, Standard Chartered, ENGIE and Discovery, look forward to being part of your journey, accelerate the potential of your startups to reach greater success and to grow your impact as we work together towards achieving Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access across the different spheres of life.”

To learn more about the program, please visit: https://www.wegrowwithc3.com/c3-i-d-e-a-accelerator

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Under the agreement, Etisalat Digital assumes the responsibility of Managed Services, Security, and Operations, with Oracle as the Cloud Provider and Accenture responsible for cloud-enabled transformation, implementation, and migration services. Enterprises eager to anchor their cloud journeys on Oracle cloud offerings will be provided best-in-class Oracle cloud hosting, as well as delivery and operations services.

The MoU was signed by Gerardo Canta, Senior Managing Director at Accenture in the Middle East, Salvador Anglada, Group Chief Business Officer of Etisalat, and Leopoldo Boado, Senior Vice President – Business Applications, ECEMEA region, Oracle, in the presence of senior representatives from these organizations.

The scope of the agreement will see Etisalat Digital and Accenture shape Oracle-powered cloud transformation journeys and deliver local deployment of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications implementation services in the UAE and KSA. The parties will leverage their global scale, industry expertise, and local knowledge to provide best-in-class digital transformation cloud solutions and unleash the full potential of what technologies can do for organizations and for clients in the Middle East. In addition, the collaboration will accelerate and enhance the power and integration of Oracle solutions for clients, helping them win faster as they transform their businesses.

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Bringing together three distinct platforms – Intelak Incubator, Intelak Accelerator and the Intelak Idea Lab – the Intelak Hub is an important enabler for entrepreneurial growth, supported by Dubai’s strategic investment priorities and hyper-connected, global location.

Now in its second year, Intelak Hub is led by a consortium of industry leaders who serve as the platforms’ principle partners, taking a holistic approach to nurturing start-ups at all stages of growth. This includes, with all providing mentorship to programme participants:

• Dubai Tourism, with its extensive knowledge and reputation in destination marketing;
• Emirates Group, with its established track record as world-class providers of air transport (Emirates) and air travel services (dnata);
• Accenture, with its deep expertise shaping and connecting disruptive ecosystem start-ups to its clients;
• and Microsoft with its global scale and deep technology expertise in nurturing start-up.

With a substantial footprint across the world’s aviation, tourism, technology and innovation industries, the principle partners have built a robust ecosystem dedicated to mentoring start-ups from ideation through to equity-free funding, growth and scaling. What’s more, programme participants will have access to a robust alumni pool for networking and business opportunities, in turn allowing them to approach more complex business challenges and benefit from collective perspectives.

Intelak Hub’s 2021 offerings include the Intelak Incubator, a 12-week programme for early stage start-ups offering equity-free funding, market feasibility guidance, pitch deck advisement, and demo day showcases where Dubai is used as a proof-of-concept for their solutions. Additionally, it will include AED 50,000 in equity-free funding, with the opportunity to showcase solutions at a demo day, and further access to ecosystem collaborations.

The Intelak Accelerator is an eight-week programme for late stage start-ups looking to scale their businesses, offering comprehensive go-to-market counsel, access to partner ecosystems to test and implement their solutions, exhibition space and exclusive pitching and investor opportunities at GITEX Future Stars – a premier technology event for the region.

Finally, the Intelak Idea Lab is a three-week programme nurturing young Emirati talent as part of the UAE’s vision to develop and support home-grown innovation and entrepreneurship. Applicants can be considered for all programmes regardless of which programme they enter when joining Intelak Hub and start-ups do not need to be based in Dubai to take part. All cohort programmes will have a hybrid structure consisting of physical and digital components.

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