- Policy and Decision makers from the Government
- CIOs, Municipal Commissioners
- City Planners, Developers, Architects
- Service Providers
- Department Heads – Utilities, Energy, Healthcare, Transport
- Consultants, Real Estate Developers
- Partners
Please watch the space for updates
Yvon Le Roux – Vice President, Cisco Systems,
Smart+Connected Communities, Global Public Sector
In November 2010 Yvon Le Roux joined Cisco’s Global Public Sector leadership team as head of the Smart + Connected Communities global initiative. Smart+Connected Communities are part of Cisco's overall approach to making IP-based solutions akin to a fourth utility service for integrated city management.
Prior to joining the Global Public Sector organization, Yvon Le Roux was Vice President of Cisco’s Africa Levant region in Emerging Markets from 2008 to 2010. The region includes Levant, Egypt, North Africa, Emerging Africa and South Africa. In this role, Yvon Le Roux was responsible for developing and executing the go-to-market strategies to help these countries in their drive to improve the lives of their citizens through better health care, education, public safety, national security, and economic development through the use of technology.
Prior to joining emerging markets in 2008, Yvon Le Roux was Vice President, Public Sector for Cisco’s European Markets starting in 2003 where he successfully developed and led the strategy, sales and marketing programs with strong focus on government, healthcare, education and defense markets. In this role, Yvon Le Roux’s vision was to “unleash the power of the network in the Public Sector to improve quality, reach and cost of public services”. His team developed highly effective solutions to assist public sector organizations in connecting, communicating and collaborating with citizens, businesses and governments.
Yvon Le Roux was also responsible for helping public sector customers secure funding from different government bodies for programs such as providing broadband to citizens and businesses. In addition, he has launched a number of research projects exploring the effects of IT on the public sector, such as Net Impact: From Connectivity to Productivity, and ”Shared Services in Government. Building a Platform for Better Public Services at Lower Cost, May 2007” by AT Kearney.
Yvon Le Roux joined Cisco in 1996 as Vice President for EMEA South which included France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and South Africa. Prior to joining Cisco, he held a number of senior positions at IT companies, spanning several territories. His career began at Sperry Computer Systems before moving to Matra Informatique as President in 1984. He then joined Amdahl Corporation in 1992 where his last position was President of Amdahl Europe.
Yvon Le Roux has dual nationality, British and French. A native French speaker, he is also fluent in English and Italian. He has lived and worked in the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France and Italy, he is now based in Paris.
Hardik Bhatt – Ex CIO City of Chicago
Hardik is working for Cisco’s Global Smart + Connected Communities group as Director of Business Development and strategy. Hardik joined Cisco after being the Chief Information Officer of the City of Chicago and Commissioner for Chicago Department of Innovation and Technology for close to 5 years.
As the CIO, Hardik had been leading a team of 250+ employees and consultants with an annual budget of over $150 Million. Hardik also lead Mayor Daley’s charge for universal and affordable broadband for all Chicagoans through various initiatives, including the Smart Communities program. In last 3 years, Hardik brought over $25 Million from Federal, State, Foundation and Private sector sources for Chicago’s Smart Communities program. On the way, he was instrumental in establishing partnerships with Chicagoland Healthcare providers, Utility and energy sector leaders as well as public safety, transportation and non-profit leaders.
Hardik worked closely with leading CIO's and Technology leaders of the region to accomplish various technology talent related initiatives, including opening a new Technology Career high school. Hardik was also very closely connected with other City CIO’s as well as the Federal CIO and CTO.
Prior to joining the public sector, Hardik worked as a consultant with Oracle corporation in the US and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in India.
Hardik has an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from M. S. University, Baroda, India.
Ray Cooke – Director of Physical Safety and Security, Cisco Systems
Ray Cooke is Director of Physical Safety and Security Solutions, for Cisco’s Globalization Center in Bangalore.
In his 23 years of experience in ICT industry, the majority were dedicated to homeland security and networked physical security convergence.
Mr. Cooke has built and grown solutions giving rise to some of the largest and most successful U.S. networked surveillance programs, which today serve to enhance awareness, response, investigation, and evidence - spanning law enforcement, homeland security, and public education.
He holds a Masters degree in Business from The Johns Hopkins University (United States), and a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University (United States).
Session Title: Homeland Security in Smart+Connected Communities
Abstract: Requirements for safety and security at citywide scale have evolved, driven by ever changing threats, expectations, and budget challenges. With current trends in urbanization worldwide, economic development depends largely on a climate of lawful activity and efficient movement. Proportional and timely response to incidents in the private and public context is a key aspect of delivering this climate of public safety. Both are possible and are affordable in new ways using technology for better awareness, better coordination, and better response. Mr. Cooke will show how new requirements are met by new technologies and new partnership models between and among private organizations or public agencies, with the network as the platform for new physical security process and tools to achieve this. Is your city ready? Is your enterprise?
Guy N Tulloh – Senior Project Manager / Designer, Singapore
Guy is a specialist security / defence architect and project manager with more than 16 years international experience throughout, Australia, Asia, United Kingdom, UAE, Maldives, New Zealand and Japan. Guy’s role covers design, site and project management and client relationships.
Guy completed his Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Planning and Design in Australia and then became a registered architect soon after. During his time as an architect he established DRP Architects Pty Ltd, which he was the director of for over 10 years. He then became the Senior Resident Architect with a multi national firm and was relocated to Dubai and more recently to Glasgow in the UK.
Guy has a thorough understanding of not only the functional design aspects of both Security but also Defence facilities. Guy has been instrumental in pushing the design theories beyond the standards to include additional training features within ranges and training facilities. As an Architect guy is capable of security and defence training master planning, design development and detailed design, combined with site / construction management.
Richard Bingley – CEO / CSARN, Security and Resilience Networks
Richard Bingley worked as executive director for a leading London business organisation, where he developed world-renowned public and private partnerships that synergised critical facets in business security, resilience and crisis communications. He has advised government partners in some of the world's most vulnerable urban security environments across Britain and India including the UK's National Counter- Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO).
Richard’s background spans the IT sector, journalism and government public relations, where Richard worked advising high-profile UK and overseas government leaders including Britain's last two prime ministers, MPs and Olympic borough local authority leaders. Richard has published books on the defence trade and global terrorism.
Dan Weisser – Principal, PRTM Management Consultants
Dan is based in the Dubai office of PRTM. He is a Principal in PRTM’s Energy Business Group working on projects in the sectors of renewable energy and smart grid. He has over 15 years experience in project management and systems development.
Prior to joining PRTM, Dan worked developing Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon emissions zero-waste city powered entirely by renewable energy. At Masdar City, he was the financial lead responsible for determining the proper business case for each technology investment and for ensuring the Masdar vision was based on economic reality. Dan helped grow the Masdar City team from a start-up into a large development organization capable of delivering the planned city development.
Dan graduated from Rice University, with a Bachelor of Arts in computer science. He also received a Master of Science in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Clay G. Nesler – Vice President, Global Energy and Sustainability
Clay Nesler is the Vice President, Global Energy and Sustainability for the Building Efficiency business of Johnson Controls. In this role, he is responsible for sustainability strategy, policy and innovation on a global basis. Since joining Johnson Controls in 1983, Clay has held a variety of leadership positions in product development, marketing and strategy in both the United States and Europe. He holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Justin Crump – CEO, Sibylline Ltd
Justin is an intelligence and security management expert with fifteen year’s service in the British Armed Forces, including operational experience in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served for three years as a personal staff officer to the Duke of Westminster and continues to play a role as a CBRN reconnaissance specialist. His civilian career began with three years in Corporate Finance at JP Morgan, but work in Iraq led directly to a period of consulting in the security management sector, including work on secondment to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
This combination of experience resulted in Justin joining the specialist intelligence provider Assynt Associates as Director of the firm’s Security Intelligence analysis service. After several years he moved on to establish Sibylline ltd, with the aim of improving security leadership and management though the use of intelligence to understand and quantify risks, deliver business value, increase efficiency and improve organisational resilience. The firm therefore provides regular or ad hoc professional analysis and intelligence reporting to clients in support of these objectives.
As a recognised expert on intelligence, terrorism and world affairs Justin appears regularly on international broadcast media (including al-Jazeera, the BBC and NDTV) and is often consulted by the press on breaking stories. Forthcoming speaking appearances include a briefing on resurgent Northern Irish terrorism in Parliament in late January, global terrorism presentations in Chicago and New York and as a closing speaker at the national Counter-Terrorism expo in London in April.
Karim Sabbagh – Partner, Booz & Company
Based in the Middle East, Partner Karim Sabbagh leads Booz & Company’s work for global communication, media and technology clients. With more than 20 years of experience in the field, he has expertise in deregulation strategies, privatization, strategy-based transformation, mergers and acquisitions, investment strategies, and operating and governance models. Dr. Sabbagh’s engagements have included economic master planning for telecommunications and media clients and the development of technology incubators for economic development programs.
Dr. Sabbagh is a member of the advisory council of the School of Business Administration of the American University in Dubai. He is a member of the firm Marketing Advisory Council and also the chairman of the Ideation Center that serves as the firm’s think tank in the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. with honors in strategic management from Century University in the U.S., and both an MBA in finance and a BBA with distinction in marketing from the American University of Beirut.
