NGM Group has hosted the inaugural Innovate for Impact Hackathon in Newcastle, bringing together more than 200 software developers, technology partners, and local tertiary students. The 30-hour event focused on utilizing artificial intelligence and cloud computing to build scalable administrative and operational solutions for three regional charity partners.
Participants from NGM Group, the University of Newcastle, and TAFE NSW were tasked with addressing specific operational bottlenecks. The event was supported by global technology firms including Microsoft and GitHub, along with student hackathon organisation Major League Hacking, providing local students and developers with direct access to enterprise-grade tools.
The primary development challenge was issued by Dress for Success NSW & ACT, a Greater Charitable Foundation partner that provides styling and career services for women. The organization required a solution for fragmented client referral pathways, which resulted in the creation of a centralized, mobile-first referral and booking portal.
Operations Manager at Dress for Success NSW & ACT, Rachel Dyer said the development process provided practical tools to optimize resource allocation.
“To see what they can do and what’s out there has been revolutionary,” Rachel said.
“It will change the way we do business. To come up with so many different angles and solutions today, and to be able to implement even just one of them will change our day to day, it will allow us to do more with what we’ve got.”
The hackathon also developed technical frameworks for Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation partners HealthWISE and the Lake Macquarie & Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network to improve regional service delivery and data management.
Chief Information Officer at NGM Group, Andrew Cresp said the initiative forms part of the group’s strategy to expand the Hunter region’s technology sector through practical innovation.
“We are proud to have held the first Hackathon event of its kind in Newcastle. At NGM Group, we have become a leader in the Hunter region’s technology sector, embracing innovation and practical adoption tools such as AI to help our people work smarter and deliver better outcomes,” Andrew said.
“It was incredible to watch some of the brightest young minds and experienced heads join forces to bring some meaningful outcomes for our charity partners. As a customer-owned bank we are here to serve our communities, so it is really important to us to develop technology solutions that have a real-world impact.”
CEO and Co-Founder of Major League Hacking, Mike Swift said experiential, fast-paced technical builds are required to keep pace with rapid shifts in software capabilities.
“At Major League Hacking we know that the only way to stay up-to-date with technology that changes by the minute is to get hands-on,” Mike said.
“When the team at NGM approached us about this Hackathon we were over the moon to be here to make sure their employees and local students had the ability to solve real problems for local charities and to actually bring their ideas to life in just 30 hours.”
Winning teams were awarded corporate mentorship opportunities, including an industry immersion day at Microsoft’s Australian headquarters, bridging the gap between regional education and national technology pathways.
IMAGE | NGM Group hackathon delivers digital solutions for regional charities
