emirates7 - The Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Office, in collaboration with Emirates NBD, organised the inaugural ‘UAE Codes ScrumXperience’ in celebration of UAE Codes Day, which the country marks annually on 29th October.
The hackathon aims to fosters key national AI strategy objectives, strengthen the skills of Emirati talents at Emirates NBD and equip them to keep pace with rapid digital transformation. It empowers participants to turn ideas into pioneering achievements using Agile principles, which foster collaboration and promote continuous innovation and adaptability.
Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, affirmed that UAE Codes Day embodies the UAE leadership’s forward-looking vision, recognising coding as the language of the future and a cornerstone in shaping the world of tomorrow.
He added that the UAE Government continues to translate this vision into tangible achievements by investing in the development of national talent, empowering them to innovate, and enhancing their skills and capabilities through strategic collaborations across sectors.
Al Olama noted that building a generation of AI leaders requires keeping pace with the rapid and dynamic advancements in coding and artificial intelligence. He stated that the collaboration with Emirates NBD to organise the ‘UAE Codes ScrumXperience’ serves as a practical model for fostering innovation in the banking sector and contributes to achieving the UAE’s national objectives in digital transformation and the knowledge-based economy.
Designed as a full-day event, the ScrumXperience aims to advance Emirati talent development through a hands-on Agile, Scrum and Vibe Coding simulation. Participants will work on a customer-centric problem statement tailored to the bank. The event centres on shifting mindsets from traditional project management to an entrepreneurial mindset using Agile principles which strengthen collaboration, promote iterative delivery, and drive customer-centric value. The initiative showcases the bank’s commitment to building future-ready talent and positioning itself as a driver of innovation and agility.
Miguel Rio-Tinto, Group Chief Digital and Information Officer at Emirates NBD, said, “Emirates NBD’s adoption of Agile methodologies has significantly transformed our organisational framework. As the largest Agile organisation in the Middle East, our transition has enabled us to mobilise over 3,500 roles across engineering, digital, design, and business to develop cutting-edge digital products. This has accelerated our operational efficiency and financial performance, solidifying our status as the most innovative, digital, and technologically sophisticated Bank in the region.”
Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Operating Officer at Emirates NBD, said, “As a leader in digital banking Emirates NBD has always championed innovation. Agile improves flexibility, collaboration, and rapid delivery of products and services, while driving digital transformation. This aligns well with our objectives to develop UAE national talent, making them future-ready to support the digital economy.”
UAE nationals constitute up to 85 percent of the full-time roles in the Agile Chapter within Emirates NBD and are leading Agile transformations across all platforms in the bank including the HR and L&D departments. Emiratis are at the forefront of Emirates NBD’s adoption of AI by training local Large Language Models (LLM) and Model Capability Protocols (MCPs) to support product owners and automate the Agile Maturity Assessment.
The first-place winner of the hackathon was the “Tamkeen Platform” team, developed by Mohammed Al Maamari, Maitha Al Zeyoudi, Samiha Abdullah, Eman Al Shawoush, Fatma Al Shmaili, Shahad Al Hadrami, Sharifa Al Ali, and Maryam Al Dahmani. Their project aims to support Emirati talent, whether recent graduates, mid-career professionals, or individuals looking to shift their career paths, by helping them discover suitable roles through the use of Claude AI. The team designed the concept of an intelligent career coach that guides users through personalised conversations to analyse key aspects of their educational background and interests. This helps generate customised career pathways aligned with available roles at the bank.
The platform also provides a career progression timeline, along with recommended training programs and certifications that empower users to achieve their professional goals.
The second-place winner was the “Tahfeez Platform” team, created by Nawal Al Baloushi, Amina Saqr, Amina Al Dhaheri, Aida Al Warani, Juma Al Rumaithi, Hour Al Muhairi, Maitha Al Shahi, and Maryam Al Jasmi. Their project presents an interactive smart platform designed to empower Emirati talent to track their career journey and identify their professional strengths. It also integrates with various digital platforms such as Kawader, LinkedIn, and Dubai Careers, helping build an interconnected and future-ready talent ecosystem.
The third-place winner was the “Made in the Emirates Platform” team, consisting of Safia Al Buraiki, Butheina Abdulhakim, Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, Zayed Al Habsi, Khawla Al Sharqi, and Mohammed Al Baloushi. Their project is a dual-interface AI-powered digital platform developed to accelerate recruitment efforts at Emirates NBD Bank by connecting recruiters with Emirati professionals. The platform enables personalised job matching and supports sustainable professional growth.
Agile and Scrum are two of the most common frameworks used in project management. Agile is a project philosophy or framework that takes an iterative approach toward the completion of a project. Scrum is a management framework that teams use to self-organise and work towards a common objective. It describes a set of meetings, tools, and roles for efficient project delivery.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, directed that October 29 of every year be celebrated as “UAE Codes” Day. This date marks the occasion when His Highness launched the region’s first e-government on October 29, 2001, a milestone that marked the beginning of the UAE’s digital transformation journey.
In November 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) approved the UAE’s proposal to recognise 29th October as the International Day of coding, a global acknowledgment of the UAE’s leadership in programming and technology, affirming its status as a key destination for talent and creative minds from around the world.
The hackathon aims to fosters key national AI strategy objectives, strengthen the skills of Emirati talents at Emirates NBD and equip them to keep pace with rapid digital transformation. It empowers participants to turn ideas into pioneering achievements using Agile principles, which foster collaboration and promote continuous innovation and adaptability.
Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, affirmed that UAE Codes Day embodies the UAE leadership’s forward-looking vision, recognising coding as the language of the future and a cornerstone in shaping the world of tomorrow.
He added that the UAE Government continues to translate this vision into tangible achievements by investing in the development of national talent, empowering them to innovate, and enhancing their skills and capabilities through strategic collaborations across sectors.
Al Olama noted that building a generation of AI leaders requires keeping pace with the rapid and dynamic advancements in coding and artificial intelligence. He stated that the collaboration with Emirates NBD to organise the ‘UAE Codes ScrumXperience’ serves as a practical model for fostering innovation in the banking sector and contributes to achieving the UAE’s national objectives in digital transformation and the knowledge-based economy.
Designed as a full-day event, the ScrumXperience aims to advance Emirati talent development through a hands-on Agile, Scrum and Vibe Coding simulation. Participants will work on a customer-centric problem statement tailored to the bank. The event centres on shifting mindsets from traditional project management to an entrepreneurial mindset using Agile principles which strengthen collaboration, promote iterative delivery, and drive customer-centric value. The initiative showcases the bank’s commitment to building future-ready talent and positioning itself as a driver of innovation and agility.
Miguel Rio-Tinto, Group Chief Digital and Information Officer at Emirates NBD, said, “Emirates NBD’s adoption of Agile methodologies has significantly transformed our organisational framework. As the largest Agile organisation in the Middle East, our transition has enabled us to mobilise over 3,500 roles across engineering, digital, design, and business to develop cutting-edge digital products. This has accelerated our operational efficiency and financial performance, solidifying our status as the most innovative, digital, and technologically sophisticated Bank in the region.”
Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Operating Officer at Emirates NBD, said, “As a leader in digital banking Emirates NBD has always championed innovation. Agile improves flexibility, collaboration, and rapid delivery of products and services, while driving digital transformation. This aligns well with our objectives to develop UAE national talent, making them future-ready to support the digital economy.”
UAE nationals constitute up to 85 percent of the full-time roles in the Agile Chapter within Emirates NBD and are leading Agile transformations across all platforms in the bank including the HR and L&D departments. Emiratis are at the forefront of Emirates NBD’s adoption of AI by training local Large Language Models (LLM) and Model Capability Protocols (MCPs) to support product owners and automate the Agile Maturity Assessment.
The first-place winner of the hackathon was the “Tamkeen Platform” team, developed by Mohammed Al Maamari, Maitha Al Zeyoudi, Samiha Abdullah, Eman Al Shawoush, Fatma Al Shmaili, Shahad Al Hadrami, Sharifa Al Ali, and Maryam Al Dahmani. Their project aims to support Emirati talent, whether recent graduates, mid-career professionals, or individuals looking to shift their career paths, by helping them discover suitable roles through the use of Claude AI. The team designed the concept of an intelligent career coach that guides users through personalised conversations to analyse key aspects of their educational background and interests. This helps generate customised career pathways aligned with available roles at the bank.
The platform also provides a career progression timeline, along with recommended training programs and certifications that empower users to achieve their professional goals.
The second-place winner was the “Tahfeez Platform” team, created by Nawal Al Baloushi, Amina Saqr, Amina Al Dhaheri, Aida Al Warani, Juma Al Rumaithi, Hour Al Muhairi, Maitha Al Shahi, and Maryam Al Jasmi. Their project presents an interactive smart platform designed to empower Emirati talent to track their career journey and identify their professional strengths. It also integrates with various digital platforms such as Kawader, LinkedIn, and Dubai Careers, helping build an interconnected and future-ready talent ecosystem.
The third-place winner was the “Made in the Emirates Platform” team, consisting of Safia Al Buraiki, Butheina Abdulhakim, Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, Zayed Al Habsi, Khawla Al Sharqi, and Mohammed Al Baloushi. Their project is a dual-interface AI-powered digital platform developed to accelerate recruitment efforts at Emirates NBD Bank by connecting recruiters with Emirati professionals. The platform enables personalised job matching and supports sustainable professional growth.
Agile and Scrum are two of the most common frameworks used in project management. Agile is a project philosophy or framework that takes an iterative approach toward the completion of a project. Scrum is a management framework that teams use to self-organise and work towards a common objective. It describes a set of meetings, tools, and roles for efficient project delivery.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, directed that October 29 of every year be celebrated as “UAE Codes” Day. This date marks the occasion when His Highness launched the region’s first e-government on October 29, 2001, a milestone that marked the beginning of the UAE’s digital transformation journey.
In November 2023, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) approved the UAE’s proposal to recognise 29th October as the International Day of coding, a global acknowledgment of the UAE’s leadership in programming and technology, affirming its status as a key destination for talent and creative minds from around the world.