Dubai Police's Al Marri crowned champion of inaugural Challenge 71 for young leaders

Dubai: Captain Dr Engineer Salem Al Marri of Dubai Police has emerged as a standout example of ambition and modern leadership after being crowned champion of the first edition of Challenge 71 for Young Government Leaders.

The winner was announced in November 2025 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, following a fiercely competitive multi-stage contest. Captain Al Marri and his team progressed through every round of the challenge, eventually securing first place in the final, with Sheikh Hamdan personally naming him the inaugural champion.

Captain Al Marri joined Dubai Police in 2016, beginning his career at the General Department of Artificial Intelligence before moving to the General Department of Anti-Narcotics. In both roles, he demonstrated strong professional performance and administrative competence.

His academic journey began earlier, in 2012, when he was sponsored by Dubai Police to study electronic engineering. He later completed a master’s degree in electrical engineering, producing a research thesis on facial expression recognition using artificial intelligence between 2017 and 2025.

Building on this foundation, Captain Al Marri became the first Emirati to obtain a PhD from Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, specialising in computer vision. His work in advanced technologies earned him the Individual Excellence Medal in Science and Future Technology, recognising his contribution to the development of artificial intelligence applications.

In 2022, he joined the Dubai Youth Council, contributing to several initiatives that later saw the council named the best youth council in the country. He also received the Mother of the Nation Medal in the Science and Future Technology category, honouring excellence in innovation across scientific, social and development fields.

Captain Al Marri took part in the first edition of Challenge 71 alongside participants from local and federal government entities. A total of 32 competitors entered the programme, with each stage eliminating half the participants, making the journey both demanding and intense.

The opening stage focused on developing solutions related to recovery from drug addiction. This was followed by Resilience Week, where teams worked under pressure to design emergency response plans, manage rumours, handle social media during crises and select effective communication strategies.

Those who advanced faced a further challenge during an evening round at the Museum of the Future, where they were tasked with designing a sustainable space station within a fixed budget while demonstrating effective team management. This led to additional eliminations and narrowed the field to the finalists.

The final stage was held at Dubai Opera, where participants delivered inspirational speeches aimed at empowering youth, speaking before senior officials and dignitaries and responding to their questions with clarity and confidence. Captain Al Marri’s consistent performance across all stages earned him the confidence of the judges and secured his victory.

Reflecting on the experience, Captain Al Marri described Challenge 71 as demanding yet highly rewarding. He said it sharpened his leadership skills, strengthened decision-making abilities and built resilience under pressure, requiring balanced judgement, courage and teamwork in a range of scenarios.

While the win brought a strong sense of pride, he noted that it also carried a deeper responsibility, reinforcing the importance of continuous learning, adaptability and self-awareness.

He added that the challenge revealed strengths that only emerge under pressure, while underlining the value of teamwork, patience and shared expertise in developing practical and impactful solutions for the future.