CEO MONTHLY / Chairperson Awards 2022 24 Civic Technology Chairperson of the Year 2022: Bob Bennett Cities face unique challenges, with immense pressures in all directions. Cities Today Institute is designed to offer the support they need, pooling resources on various issues to find the best way forward. Bob Bennett has led the way on this important initiative, so we caught up with him to uncover more about the secrets of its success. Cities have responsibility for such much in our lives, from transport to education to public health, but one of the biggest challenges is finding points of comparison. When Bob Bennett sought to bring city leaders together, he did so because he knew that people find solutions faster when they talk amongst their peers. Led by cities and organised specifically to support them, the Cities Today Institute has quickly found a niche for itself in the market. The group serves as an important link between technology, policy and sustainability, and how these affect those in our communities at large. This is a place where city leaders can discuss their successes and failures, exchange lessons and learn best practice away from outside criticism. Better decision making makes life better for everyone. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cities Today Institute has managed to host over twenty-five city leadership forums. Because only specific topics are examined at each meeting, Cities Today Institute is proud to offer deeper discussions than other venues. This applies not only to the various city leaders that come together, but to the various sponsors who work with the team. Instead of offering sales pitches, they can engage with grown up conversations about the best path forward. Drawing together people from across North America and Europe is no easy task. “Our staff have to be civically minded, well versed in technology and entrepreneurial in spirit,” Bob tells us with a smile. “We are a small team distributed across the globe, so all of our teammates have to be willing to make decisions independently within the intent of the leadership team and take those decisions back to the rest of the community for implementation.” This incredible range has turned out to be a massive benefit for the team as it allows them to draw on an impressive pool of knowledge. When the organisation began in 2019, they were already widely distributed and using digital coordination. The COVID-19 pandemic forced Bob and his team to expand their techniques when neither cities nor community partners could travel. “As we emerged from the pandemic, we kept the digital meetings as a feature that continued conversations beyond the City Leadership Forums,” Bob explains. “We also developed additional expertise in public health policy, health technologies and infrastructure funding mechanisms as these elements became dominant in discussions with our federal partners.” The plans for 2023 have already been set, with topics and experts being brought together to uncover the successes and failures that cities have faced over the years. In North America, the team are meeting in Houston, Las Vegas, Detroit and Long Beach to discuss the issues of transportation and digitalisation. Europe will see events in Barcelona and Lisbon alongside two as-yet undisclosed locations. It’s clear from the incredible demand for the team’s service that they are doing something right. Under Bob Bennett’s careful and capable leadership, the Cities Today Institute has gone from strength to strength over the years and still has many more surprises up its sleeves. Company: Cities Today Institute Name: Bob Bennett Email: [email protected] Web Address: https://cities-institute.com
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