Leila Cheikhe
AI Strategy Architect  ·  Systems Builder  ·  Future Chief AI Officer
Designing intelligent infrastructure for Africa's 1.5 billion — at the intersection of AI engineering, cooperative economics, and multilingual systems.
leilacheikhee@gmail.com +212 666 847 735 leilacheikhe.com linkedin/leila-cheikhe-661368267 github/leilacheikhee-web Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, Morocco
Executive Profile

AI Strategy Architect designing intelligent systems for markets that global technology has chosen to ignore. Founder of Elite Yassmin Cooperative — Morocco's first AI-enabled natural cosmetics cooperative — and architect of ORBIT, an enterprise-grade agentic AI system on IBM watsonx. Selected as an America 250 Fellow by the U.S. Department of State. Currently building the AI infrastructure layer for Africa's 1.5 billion through DarijaBot, CoopAI, and the TANIT protocol, while advancing through an intensive AI Engineering and Fullstack track at Qwasar Silicon Valley / JobInTech (Sep 2025–Present, 60+ projects, 85+ certifications). The convergence of technical depth, on-the-ground cooperative experience, and systems-level thinking I bring is structurally rare.

Experience
AI Systems Lead & Business Strategist — ORBIT
Jan – Feb 2026
IBM Dev Day: AI Demystified Hackathon  ·  Remote, International
Stack: IBM watsonx Orchestrate · LLM Agents · Multi-Agent Systems · Python
  • Conceived and led ORBIT — an enterprise-grade agentic AI workflow orchestration system on IBM watsonx Orchestrate, competing against international engineering teams
  • Commanded international team of 3 (AI/Agentic Engineer + Senior Frontend Engineer) under live competition conditions
  • Defined product vision, use-case architecture, and B2B positioning for an AI task orchestration platform targeting institutional deployment in emerging markets
  • Implemented LLM-based agents with tool use, multi-step reasoning chains, and autonomous workflow automation
Founder & Managing Director — Elite Yassmin Cooperative
Mar 2023 – Present
Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, Morocco
  • Founded and lead Morocco's first AI-enabled natural cosmetics cooperative; executed complete operational and digital transformation
  • Deployed AI pricing intelligence, customer segmentation models, and multilingual product catalogs targeting European and Gulf export markets
  • 2× national recognition: Business Innovation Challenge (AMIDEAST, Nov 2024) & National Solidarity Generation Award (Ministry of Tourism, 2023)
AI Systems Builder — Artisia  (Lablab.ai Hackathon)
2023
Lablab.ai International Hackathon
  • Built Artisia — AI-native marketplace connecting Morocco's 2.4M artisans to global buyers via voice-to-listing AI, intelligent pricing, and multilingual product generation
Financial Analyst Intern — AREF
Feb – Apr 2024
Agence Régionale d'Exécution des Projets  ·  Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab
  • Financial modeling, KPI tracking, and budget reporting for senior management; supported regional investment analysis and capital allocation decisions
Digital Transformation Intern — Ministry of Digital Transition
Jul 2024
Kingdom of Morocco — National Government
  • Contributed to Digital Morocco 2030 national strategy; direct exposure to AI policy frameworks and e-government coordination at ministerial level
Account Manager — Al Huda Association for Social Development
Oct 2023 – Present
Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab, Morocco
  • Manage youth entrepreneurship programmes and community development initiatives; organize workshops and partnership campaigns
Engineering Track
Qwasar Silicon Valley / JobInTech / Web4Jobs
Sep 2025 – Present
AI Engineering & Fullstack Software Development
Silicon Valley Curriculum  ·  Remote, International
Ongoing
  • 60+ real-world engineering projects — AI systems, fullstack, mobile, cloud, and cybersecurity
  • Fullstack: React.js / Next.js, Node.js / NestJS, React Native / Expo, TypeScript, SQL, MongoDB, REST APIs
  • AI integration: LangChain, OpenAI API, IBM watsonx, HuggingFace, agentic workflows
  • 85+ professional certifications — IBM, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, Coursera
Ventures & Systems
TANIT — Shared AI Infrastructure for the Cooperative Economy
Flagship
Stack: Sovereign AI · IBM watsonx · Multi-Agent · WhatsApp-Native · Open Infrastructure
AI protocol for 3M cooperatives, 1.2B workers, $3T economy — multilingual WhatsApp-native AI delivering pricing intelligence, regulatory navigation, and market access as shared public infrastructure owned by the networks it serves.
ORBIT — Agentic AI Task Orchestrator
Delivered
Stack: IBM watsonx Orchestrate · LLM Agents · Multi-Agent · Python
Enterprise-grade agentic AI system built at IBM Dev Day AI Hackathon — orchestrates institutional workflows through multi-agent reasoning pipelines with tool use and autonomous execution.
DarijaBot — Language Infrastructure for 35M+ Speakers
In Development
Stack: Python · LangChain · HuggingFace · OpenAI API · Arabic NLP
First AI assistant purpose-built for Darija — the spoken Arabic dialect of 35M Moroccans excluded from every major AI system. Removes the first gate of AI exclusion for an entire nation.
CoopAI — AI for Cooperative Economies
In Development
Stack: LangChain · WhatsApp API · OpenAI API · Node.js
WhatsApp-native AI assistant for Morocco's 20,000+ cooperative managers — regulatory guidance, pricing intelligence, and financial analytics in Arabic and French.
Education
Bachelor of Science — Computer Science
University of the People  ·  Online
2026 – 2027 (Enrolled)
Diploma in Business Management & Finance
ISTA  ·  Dakhla, Morocco
2022 – 2025
Computer Science Coursework
Arizona State University  ·  Online
2021 – 2022
Open To
  • AI Strategy & Executive Leadership
  • WEF Global Shapers Programme
  • MIT Solve & Innovation Grants
  • Mandela Washington Fellowship
  • UNDP / World Bank AI Roles
  • Research Collaborations (AI for Africa)
  • Speaking & Panel Participation
  • Venture Partnerships / Co-Building
Technical Skills
AI & Intelligence
IBM watsonx LLM Agents Agentic AI LangChain OpenAI API HuggingFace Multi-Agent Arabic NLP
Frontend & Mobile
Next.js React.js React Native TypeScript Expo JavaScript
Backend & Data
NestJS Node.js Python SQL MongoDB REST APIs
Cloud & Security
Oracle OCI Azure AI Ethical Hacking CCNA
Strategy
AI Strategy Digital Transformation Cooperative Economics Financial Analysis
Awards & Recognition
America 250 Fellow
U.S. Department of State
2026
IBM watsonx Specialist
IBM / Qwasar / JobInTech
2026
Business Innovation Challenge
AMIDEAST Morocco — Winner
Nov 2024
National Solidarity Generation Award
Moroccan Ministry of Tourism
2023
Top 20 — Digital Skills Cup
IT Security  ·  Morocco National
2024
Certifications (85+)
IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate
IBM / Coursera  ·  2026
Fullstack Engineer — 60+ Projects
Qwasar Silicon Valley  ·  2025–2026
OCI AI Foundations Associate
Oracle University  ·  2024
Azure AI Essentials Professional
Microsoft / LinkedIn  ·  2024
Ethical Hacker Certification
Cisco Networking Academy  ·  2024
Google Project Management
Google / UM6P  ·  2024
Languages
ArabicNative
DarijaNative
FrenchProfessional
EnglishProfessional
Leila Cheikhe leilacheikhe.com  ·  May 2026