• Digital transformation is not only about technology. It is about the people, culture, and values that enact the transformation

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) strives to invest in top-notch talent and cultivate in the local digital community by hosting and sponsoring digital events. To that end, NBK served as a proud platinum sponsor for the “50 Women in Cybersecurity” Hackathon”, organized by ESK Holdings and Mercedes Vazsuez with the local support of Kuwait’s National Center for Cybersecurity.

The Hackathon was held on 27th and 28th October at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), and saw 50 Women participate in teams to solve the NBK Cybersecurity Challenge; and then present their strategies to a panel of judges to choose the winner.

The participants employed tools like real-time monitoring, incident reporting modules and communications platforms to solve their problem. Entries were judged based on creativity, problem-solving prowess, innovation, holistic thinking, and the effectiveness of teamwork.

This first-of-its-kind skilling initiative aims to address the role of women in bridging a digital divide in a field that is ever-growing for a resilient and thriving digitized knowledge-based economy.

Commenting on this, Mr. Mohammad Y. Al Kharafi, COO – Head of Group Operations and Information Technology at National Bank of Kuwait said, “We are pleased to participate in this event as cybersecurity is one of the crucial pillars in our transformation journey. In addition, NBK has a proactive strategy to address the ever-changing cyber threats, within an inclusive data governance and privacy framework.”

“In addition to introducing new features and the best user experience possible to the customer-facing channels as part of our digital strategy, other crucial pillars in our transformation journey include improving internal processes and creating a strong digital culture throughout the bank. We feel that our customers' security is of utmost importance in this ever-changing environment,” he noted.

“It is also important to recognize that digital transformation is not only about technology. It is about the people, culture, and values that enact the transformation. It is inspiring to observe the expertise and commitment of the women in this field as displayed by the hackathon participants,” he mentioned.

On her part, Mercedes Vazquez, General Manager at ESK Holding & Creator of the “50 Women in Cybersecurity” initiative in Kuwait, commented, “I am delighted to collaborate with National Bank of Kuwait as platinum sponsor of the Hackathon Part of the “50 Women in Cybersecurity” skilling initiative in Kuwait. NBK has a very solid commitment as a leading banking institution with a profound impact in development that goes beyond that, to advance the role of women in the workplace, while prioritizing technology innovation & world-class education, upskilling and reskilling in a digital competitive economy, which is a perfect alignment to this pioneering initiative.”