Press Release

October 8, 2024

nybl, the artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer, has announced an exclusive collaborative engagement initiative called ‘The Boardroom’ by nybl (The Boardroom) at this year’s GITEX Global conference.

Powered by multinational technology giants Lenovo and Intel®, The Boardroom is an invite-only space bringing together professionals, academia, leaders, deep tech experts and entrepreneurs across diverse industries to discuss the impact of AI.

Structured around a series of closed-room sessions held from 14-18 October 2024, The Boardroom will encourage critical conversations between participants to enable future engagements or initiatives in a variety of AI arenas.

Nine sessions have been curated which will be moderated by experienced facilitators to engage on topics aimed at driving meaningful change in areas affected by AI, whilst increasing understanding around AI’s broader impact on humanity.

These sessions include, ‘AI for Sustainability’ in partnership with Dubai Humanitarian, ‘Future Tech for Women Leaders’ in partnership with PLAYBOOK, and ‘The Entrepreneur’s Boardroom’ in partnership with Entrepreneur Middle East.

Additional Boardrooms include ‘AI for Education’, ‘AI for Healthcare’, ‘AI for Retail’, ‘AI for Energy’, ‘Deep Tech’, and ‘Funding for AI’.

The objective of each session is to showcase how AI has a role in driving long term solutions, ensuring its sustainability, enabling it to be suitably funded and to create a common vision for the future of each of these areas.

Key individuals from Lenovo participating across all of The Boardroom sessions include Nicholas Borsotto, Worldwide AI Business Lead & Head of Lenovo AI Innovators, and Dr. Valerio Rizzo, EMEA AI Lead. Further participants include BEEAH, Canadian University Dubai, Climate Essentials, E-daddy, Green Future Project, HappinessMatters, Mondia, Voicee, and YP Club, amongst many others.

Noor Alnahhas, Co-founder and CEO of nybl commented, “‘The Boardroom’ by nybl provides our partners and industry leaders attending GITEX, a rare and highly selective conduit for the meaningful exchange of ideas to enable exponential growth in this exciting AI economy.

We are proud to be hosting a platform that encourages critical conversation around key topics in AI, whilst also offering participants the opportunity to forge longstanding partnerships and leverage the power and potential of AI as an enabler of good for multiple sectors and industries.

I look forward to engaging with all our esteemed partners and contributors in important discussions regarding policies, practices and future goals that will accelerate the development and implementation of AI in the Middle East and around the world.”

In line with the UAE’s mandate for greater female representation in boardrooms, nybl has also joined forces with edtech platform PLAYBOOK to champion gender diversity at the highest levels of leadership.

At the upcoming conference, The Boardroom sessions will ensure a balanced representation, with a strong focus on bringing accomplished women leaders to the table.

Each participant will also receive a one-year subscription to Playbook’s comprehensive offerings, including masterclasses, workshops, 1:1 mentorships, and exclusive networking opportunities.

This partnership underscores nybl’s commitment to advancing the UAE’s gender-balanced boardroom goals and fostering a more inclusive leadership landscape.

For the first time at GITEX, nybl is spearheading important dialogues across complex issues and distinctive opportunities that are critical for AI and its rapidly evolving role in the world today.

The aim of this initiative is to enable further discussions on AI and the formation of collective think tanks, workstreams, and the emergence of new leaders, especially female leaders and entrepreneurs, that will shape the future of AI.

From globally recognised public and private companies to small and medium enterprises, ‘The Boardroom’ by nybl brings talented titans of industry and cutting-edge technologies together, pioneering meaningful and sustainable changes in key areas to improve lives and our planet.

Read on

Waleed Refaat

Finance Director & Value Maker

Waleed has more than 20 years of experience in organizational accounting and finance management. He is responsible for nybl’s financial strategy and direction to meet company growth, client and investor expectations. He earned a Bachelor of Accounting from the Higher Institute of Advanced Studies in Cairo.

Michael LeTan

Chief Technology Officer & World Builder

Michael is an accomplished system architect with more than 30 years of experience in product development, delivery and deployment. He was part of a team of graduate engineers from MIT and Harvard to develop one of the leading-edge systems for Baker Hughes. Michael also served as the development manager for a web-based SCADA start-up and was the director of engineering for BCS Systems. He received his Bachelor of Science in system engineering from The University of Houston–Clear Lake.

Shriprakash Pandey

Partner & Entrepreneurship Enabler

Shriprakash is a business leader and entrepreneur with more than 28 years of experience leading international technology and engineering companies serving the utilities market. He is the founder and managing director of Commtel Networks and an expert in all aspects of business, including sales, business development, global alliances and operations. Shriprakash is an accomplished engineer and a graduate of the advanced management programs at the Indian School of Business and Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Noor Alnahhas

CEO & Visionary

Noor is a serial entrepreneur with nearly 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has a proven track record of building businesses and relationships within the Gulf Cooperation Council and serves as an advisor to start-ups in the Middle East and U.S. Noor earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and entrepreneurship from the University of Houston and completed additional leadership training at Wharton School of Business and INSEAD, a graduate business school with campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Hafsa Yazdani

Chief Developer & Queen of Bees

Hafsa is a software developer who has led the creation of specialized engineering applications in several industries, including oil and gas, supply chain and security. A member of Google’s Women Techmakers, she is passionate about advancing the involvement of girls in technology and entrepreneurship. Hafsa graduated at the top of her class from Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University with a Bachelor of Science in computer science.

Alessandra Scicchitano

Alessandra Scicchitano is a leading expert in Human-Centred Tech and Product Strategy. She provides strategic advisory to tech companies looking to grow repeat business and revenue through high-impact products.

Before founding AURES Consulting, Alessandra held research and management positions at world-class organizations like IBM and in projects funded by the European Commission. With more than 10 years of experience in the technical field, she has published several peer-reviewed papers and spoken at countless international conferences.

She is the creator of TILT – Tech in The Loop, a framework to build high-impact tech products by introducing Human Centricity in different aspects of the product strategy, a University Lecturer teaching about Digital transformation and Product Strategy, and serves as a tech advisor to startups.

Nasser Alnahhas

An innovative, multilingual CEO with over 25 years’ experience leading organizations by providing exceptional business transformation services and cutting-edge solutions. Ability to create and establish robust strategic direction. Trusted advisor to partners in multinational corporations in petroleum and natural gas, chemical manufacturing, power and utility, and water and wastewater treatment industries. Proven leader with the ability to drive strategic short and long-term plans, shifting priorities, and delivering compelling collaboration skills that foster strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Influential in nature, with excellent presentation and communication skills.

Lane Sloan

Lane Sloan is a 30-year veteran of the oil and gas industry and comes from a long and distinguished career with Shell Oil. During his tenure, Mr. Sloan was a member of Shell’s senior management, and served at various times as general manager of products for finance, vice president of corporate planning, chief financial officer and VP Business Services, regional coordinator for Far East, director of East Zone Oil Products, and president of Shell Chemical Company.

After leaving Shell, Mr. Sloan joined SAIC, an IT and engineering consultancy headquartered in San Diego, California, as executive vice president in charge of energy activities. He was subsequently named CEO of SAIC’s joint venture with Halliburton in Grand Basin.

Mr. Sloan later became an executive professor at the University of Houston, where he taught leadership, corporate strategy, and energy courses. He also served as executive director of University of Houston’s Global Energy Management Institute. Today, he is a Silver Fox Advisor and president of Sloan Consulting Services, where he mentors entrepreneurial CEOs.

Mr. Sloan has a bachelor’s Degree in Business and a Master’s in Management Science, both from the University of Colorado. He also has a Master’s in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. He has co-authored Terra Incognita: A Navigation Aid for Energy Leaders and authored Develop a Leadership Plan: Become a Great Leader.

Mohammed Shono

Chief Operating Officer & Wild Card

Mohammed was one of the founding members of the Digital Transformation Project Management office at Saudi Aramco, which oversees the key business initiatives under the company’s 4th Industrial Revolution program. A 20-year veteran of the IT industry, Mohammed started as a software developer delivering applications in knowledge management and systems integration. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Tulane University and his MBA from Strathclyde University.

Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb

Chief of Deployment and President Americas

Sufyaan has built management systems and environmental monitoring solutions for a variety of industries, including energy and security. He is a certified project manager (PMI) and an active member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI), which supports the advancement of information and communications technology. Sufyaan earned a Bachelor of Engineering in electronics and instrumentation from Birla Institute of Technology & Science and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from George Mason University.