Global Advisory Council

Michael is the founding President and CEO of Leading Cities. As President and CEO, Michael establishes and develops relationships with municipal governments, private sector businesses and universities around the world, creating a global network of partner cities dedicated to creating business development and government cooperation opportunities and implementing public policy that effectively addresses the shared challenges facing 21st century cities. Michael has served as Special Assistant for White House Operations to two Presidents, policy research analyst to the former Prime Minister of Ireland, and Director of Development for United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.

Justin Herman is a senior executive and board director at the forefront of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and workforce innovation. His career spans public service, Fortune 500 leadership, and nonprofit impact—shaping strategies that modernize how governments and enterprises empower people to improve standards of living. As Vice President of Global Public Sector at ServiceNow, and formerly Global Head of Public Sector at Twilio, Justin led large-scale modernization initiatives that redefined workforce engagement and accelerated digital transformation across international, national, and local agencies through integrated strategies of policy, partnerships, and technology adoption. Previously, he served as the first leader of Artificial Intelligence for Citizens in the U.S. Federal Government at the General Services Administration, advising all federal agencies, Congress, and industry on early AI adoption. He was appointed to the White House National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Machine Learning and AI under two U.S. Presidents. Justin is Vice Chairman of the Board for Operation Lifeline, building homes for at-risk veterans, and a member of the World Economic Forum Expert Network and G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance. He advocates for an equitable, effective, and responsibly AI-powered future of work.

Smart city professional dedicated to helping city leaders and the entire ecosystem of a community take bigger boulder actions to reimagined cities.

Bio to come.

Bio to come.

Lloyd Harriman is an Associate Director at KPMG, advising public and private sector clients on city transformation, infrastructure and investment. He specialises in helping organisations design and deliver complex change through effective operating models, governance and portfolio structures that enable better decision-making and measurable impact. Lloyd combines deep expertise in organisational redesign and business case development with a strong understanding of the systems and partnerships needed to drive urban transformation at scale. He recently completed a Fellowship with the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation, where he led the design of a global place-based programme advancing more liveable, sustainable and resilient cities. His work focuses on aligning strategy, investment and delivery to achieve tangible economic, environmental and social outcomes, helping governments, city leaders and investors build confidence in long-term urban transformation programmes.

Mohamed Moselhy is the Global Smart Cities Director at Honeywell, leading diverse global teams to shape the future of urban living from Dubai, UAE. He spearheads initiatives that integrate advanced technologies, including AI, data analytics and digital twin to drive sustainability, enhance urban resilience, and secure critical infrastructures. With a focus on innovation and impact, Mohamed partners with governments and communities worldwide to create smart, sustainable, and safe city environments that protect national security, enhance economic stability, and elevate the quality of life for citizens. Mohamed is part of Honeywell’s organization for more than 18 years focused on Defense, Automation, Energy, Sustainability, Smart Cities & Communities, Security and Safety industries and has held multi-positions in his career in engineering, operations, services, solutions design, sales, business development, vertical management & business management groups on commercial, defense and government programs across different global geographies. Prior joining Honeywell, Mohamed served in the Egyptian Air force (EAF) HQ as an officer Engineer for 3 years and was part of the R&D group. Prior joining the Military, Mohamed spent a handful amount of time within the MEP industries focused on ELV solutions. Mohamed holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering from Cairo University in Egypt and an Executive MBA from Hult International Business School with focus on International Business, He is a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt and completed successfully multiple leadership and strategic marketing programs and is certified on multiple security and safety systems for commercial and military applications and an active member of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS).

Bio to come.

Sofyan is a Principal in Deloitte and helps commercial industry clients and government agencies navigate their complex issue sets in mission delivery, AI and technology enabled enterprise efficiency, risk advisory, financial transformation and operations modernization.

Bio to come.

Electronic Engineer and MBA with more than 20 years of experience in the digital sector managing digital innovation and transformation teams, in both private and public companies. Leading expert on disruptive technologies, implementation of open innovation ecosystems and management of strategic business consulting projects. Board member, international keynote speaker, associate professor and mentor.

Ahmed is a Lead of Community Services Digital Transformation and smart city expert at Aramco with 23 years of experience in Information Technology, Info Security, and Project Management. He is responsible for Smart Cities Digital Transformation strategy development, implementation, and administration.

Elle is an entrepreneurial leader and systems-builder with a track record of turning bold ideas into measurable results. She has scaled startups, advised philanthropic and civic institutions, and built trusted relationships across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Her work focuses on translating vision into action—through collaboration, data-informed decision making, and adaptive execution. She brings deep experience in organizational growth and change, innovative problem-solving, and strategic communications. Elle is a military spouse, mom, and proud alum of the Obama Administration.

Focus primarily in structuring capital for both private sector & municipal client projects. Known for creative structured finance solutions, particularly PPP sustainable project structures that have a positive impact on municipal balanc sheets. Underwritten over $3 billion in real estate & infrastructure finance. Past President and 10-year board member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of New York, past Chair for 3-years of the Finance Committee for Smart Cities Counsel. Founding Partner and Manager in two private equity companies investing in real estate and one private lending company totaling over $3 billion in AUM.

Andreas Addison is the founder of Civic Innovator, a consulting firm that helps governments and organizations turn big ideas into real-world impact. A former Richmond City Council member, entrepreneur, and professor at UVA, he has led initiatives in transportation, housing, and civic technology while advising national and international partners. His work centers on human-centered design, systems thinking, and building public-private partnerships that drive change.

Jacob is a globally recognized leader in civic innovation, technologist, and builder of urban futures. He is the co-founder of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics in Boston, the first civic innovation lab in the United States, where for over a decade he pioneered new approaches to public engagement, design justice, and technology in city government. His work has consistently focused on how cities can reimagine governance, build trust, and expand democratic participation through creative uses of technology. Currently, Nigel is a co-creator of the Neighborhood.AI initiative and the Community Futures Lab at Eastern Bank Foundation, both of which explore how generative AI, community memory, and regenerative finance can empower neighborhoods to shape their own futures. His projects—including Nubian Square.AI in Boston—bring together design, civic power, and technology to create new forms of public infrastructure that are locally grounded and globally relevant. Nigel has served as a fellow or senior advisor at institutions including Harvard, MIT, and Northeastern University, and his leadership has been recognized with numerous national awards, including being named a White House Champion of Change and one of Governing magazine’s Public Officials of the Year.

Bio to come.

A multi award-winning engineer, Churchill Fellow and data scientist with extensive global experience, Zoe takes the overwhelm out of the technology conversation. She does this by sharing stories and insights which surprise, engage and educate about what is possible through technology and data. Zoe is determined to not do things the way we’ve always done them. Her engineering mind and unique background allow her to critically analyse her experiences and draw practical conclusions for the future with wit, humour and grace. Zoe keeps up-to-date with the latest trends and shares her learnings through hosting The Smart Community Podcast. Through her boutique consultancy My Smart Community, she works with government, academia and industry offering strategic advice on dealing with disruption, leveraging major infrastructure spend, smart technology in all communities and facilitating genuine collaboration.

Chris Cooke is the Founder and CEO of SmartCitiesWorld, a prominent global platform uniting city leaders, innovators, and investors to drive urban transformation, resilience, and decarbonisation. With over 25 years of experience in B2B media and technology transition sectors, Chris has positioned SmartCitiesWorld as a trusted source of intelligence, events, marketing and advisory services shaping the evolution of cities worldwide. His leadership has established the platform as a key connector at the intersection of cities, capital, and technology, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors to achieve impactful change. Chris champions initiatives such as the Cities Climate Action Campaign, Technology for Community Centric Cities Initiative, and the upcoming SmartCitiesWorld Summit, which bring together global city networks and solution providers. He works closely with organisations like Leading Cities, The Resilient Cities Network, The Cities Climate Finance Leadership alliance and enterprises including Microsoft, Dell, NVIDIA and Bentley Systems and many others committed to empowering cities to lead the shift towards smarter, more sustainable, and equitable urban futures.

I am a Belgium-based urban strategist, freelance climate & sustainability subject matter expert, and board advisor, leveraging over two decades of expertise in global urban sustainability. I was advisor to elected officials, launched new government initiatives on mitigation, adaptation, circularity, and the built environment, and headed the Global Covenant of Mayors' research and innovation team. Recent engagements focus on mission-driven strategies for climate-neutral, liveable, and resilient cities across global regions. Current work involves the EU Commission's Climate-neutral and Smart Cities Mission System Demonstrator work with Viable Cities Sweden Safety, security, and resilience work with Dark Matter Labs Affordable Housing challenges with Laudes and ULI. Having worked at both public and private sector, politics and administration, local and international level I help translate long term ambitions into integrated, systemic and impact driven solutions, to help cities achieve the speed and scale needed to allow for a future-proof transformation.

Ruthbea works with public and nonprofit organizations to help meet their mission with effective and responsible technology. She has collaborated with cities and local governments from around the world for over 15 years as a globally recognized technology innovation strategist, thought leader and a pioneer in smart cities. Currently Ruthbea is the Vice President of IDC's global Government, Education, Transportation and Smart Cities practice where she and her team of analysts conduct research and provide consulting services on tech innovation, tech policies, vendor offerings, and best practices to support the creation of inclusive, ethical, and resilient cities.

Lawrence Eta is a best-selling author, TEDx speaker, angel investor, and global innovation strategist with a distinguished career advancing digital transformation, sustainability, and urban modernization. His leadership experience across North America, the Middle East, and beyond reflects a proven record of shaping strategies that drive smarter, more inclusive, and human-centered cities. As the former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Deputy Chief Transformation Officer for the City of Toronto, Lawrence led initiatives in digital modernization, smart-city frameworks, and public-sector transformation. In Saudi Arabia, he served as Vice President of Digital and Analytics at one of the Kingdom’s flagship mega projects, developing and executing a comprehensive digital and AI strategy that aligned technology, governance, and cultural context to enhance institutional resilience and sustainable growth. Currently, as a global Digital and AI Advisor, Lawrence provides strategic counsel to governments, enterprises, and advisory bodies on leveraging emerging technologies to strengthen civic intelligence, transparency, and operational excellence. He also serves on international advisory councils, contributing to global best practices in digital governance, urban innovation, and inclusive city-building.

Bio to come.

Bio to come.