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<p>Michelle Wu has been a voice for accessibility, transparency, and community engagement in city leadership. First elected to the Boston City Council in November 2013 at the age of 28, Wu is the first Asian-American woman to serve on the Council.</p><p><br></p><p>In January 2016, she was elected President of the City Council by her colleagues in a unanimous vote, becoming the first woman of color to serve as Council President.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Michelle Wu graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, and lives in Roslindale with her husband Conor and her two-year-old son Blaise.</p><p>‍</p>

<div>Meet our Global Leadership Team</div>

<div>More than ten years of facilitating resiliency &amp; sustainability</div>

Selection of Posts

<p>President and CEO of Leading Cities</p>

<p>A resident of Barcelona for the past 10 years, Ms. Gresle has worked on several international multi-centric research projects related to Education and Health (public health, biomedical research and health policy).</p><p><br></p><p>She is currently working as a project manager at the <a href="https://www.isglobal.org/en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barcelona Institute for Global Health</a> where she coordinates the <a href="https://www.isglobal.org/en/innovation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Responsible Research and Innovation initiative.</a></p><p>The main purpose of the initiative is to bring science and society closer together in order to co-create research agendas that directly respond to citizen’s needs and concerns, providing evidence and giving support to political bodies and decision-makers for the creation of better public policies.</p><p><br></p><p>Ms. Gresle is a graduate in Business Administration at the EDHEC in France and the University of the West of England in the UK, and holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Barcelona Institute for International Studies, Spain.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>A pure play green hydrogen project developer</p>

<div>Driving resilience and sustainability for all by unleashing the potential of the world’s cities.</div>

<div><strong>Attention Entrepreneurs:</strong></div><div>Compete for funding, clients and mentorship from global Smart City experts.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Learn More </strong><a href="https://leadingcities.org/accelicity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);"><strong><u>HERE</u> </strong></a></div>

<div class="ql-align-justify">Artur Mas&nbsp;&nbsp;was President of the Generalitat of Catalonia from 2010 to 2015&nbsp;(plus a brief stint as acting president from September 2015 to January 10, 2016).</div><div class="ql-align-justify">Mas is a long time member of Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC by its Catalan acronym) which used to be the bigger of the two component members –along with Unió Democràtica de Catalunya– of what at the time was a long-standing electoral coalition, Convergència i Unió (CiU), a liberal nationalist coalition which had dominated Catalan regional politics since the 1980s.&nbsp;In 2001 Mas was named general secretary of CDC, then, in 2012 he was named president of the party until the party was refounded in July 2016 as PDeCAT, which he currently presides</div><div><br></div><div>‍</div>

<p>Jonathan has worked as an attorney focusing on real estate development projects across Massachusetts for several years helping developers and investors realize their creative visions for development projects and communities. Working on these projects he realized there was always something missing.</p><p><br></p><p>You can build “utopia” within the four walls of the building you’re working on but once you step outside, you’re reliant upon cash-strapped municipalities to foot the bill. These community spaces are where innovation happens, where relationships are built and where cities and towns become a “community.”</p><p><br></p><p>Today he leads the New England region of the civic crowdfunding platform Patronicity which pairs hyper-local crowdfunding campaigns with large matching grant dollars in a process termed “crowdgranting” to effectively implement capital to improve the quality of life in cities and towns across the region.&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Path to Planetary Resilience&nbsp;</p>

<div><span style="background-color: inherit;">The 21st&nbsp;century has arrived and with it came continuing urban challenges facing cities around the world.&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;</div><div><span style="background-color: inherit;">These cities are facing exponential growth not just in population, but in the intensity of complex urban issues threatening the existence of safe, affordable, and supportive neighborhoods.&nbsp;</span>&nbsp;</div>

<p>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.</p><p><br></p><p>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.</p>

<div>Understanding the barriers to innovation in cities, Leading Cities connects innovators and solution providers to governments by reducing the risk and cost of innovation.</div>

<p><span style="color: rgb(37, 53, 108);">At Leading Cities, we empower urban transformation by bridging the gap between challenges and smart, scalable solutions.</span></p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(203, 76, 117);">Over $1.5 Billion</strong></p>

<p>LaunchPad 11 is a virtual incubator and collaborative workspace where urban innovators and city leaders connect to tackle pressing challenges. Through membership, participants gain access to a global network, resources, and opportunities to shape the future of resilient cities.</p>

<p>Chris Davis is an executive with over 30 years' experience in smart cities, IoT, clean technology, smart buildings, LED lighting, and industrial automation sectors.</p><p><br></p><p>He is the Founder and Managing Director of Technicity Consulting, LLC. Formerly, Chris served as Vice President, Smart Cities, at CIMCON Lighting, where he developed CIMCON’s Smart City strategy and created an ecosystem of technology partners. Chris is a frequently invited speaker and panelist at Smart City, IOT and ICT conferences globally. In addition, he has authored Smart City whitepapers, blogs and podcasts.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Prior to CIMCON, Chris was Vice President, Global Strategic Alliances at Schneider Electric, President and Board Member of Baumüller Inc., Vice President at Color Kinetics, and Managing Director and Board Member, Varta Batteries Pvt. Ltd (Singapore). In addition, Chris served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy.&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

Post list

<div>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.</div><div><br></div><div>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.</div>

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

Michael Lake

<div>President and CEO</div><div>Leading Cities</div>

<p>Empowering Cities &amp;</p><p>Furthering Planetary Resilience</p>

<div><strong>Remove drugs &amp; toxic chemicals from your water with Free Pilot Project </strong></div><div><br></div><div>$100,000 pilot to enhance water treatment processes with plug 'n play technology</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Apply </strong><a href="https://share.hsforms.com/11u7fA2e9Qy2uE8lKZJvr6w1zso9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);"><strong><u>HERE</u> </strong></a><strong style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);"> </strong></div><div><strong>Read More </strong><a href="https://leadingcities.org/acceligov/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);"><strong><u>HERE</u></strong></a>.</div>

<p>Moura’s interests lie in rethinking, refining and rebuilding collaborative spaces at the intersections of academia, government, business and civil society.</p><p><br></p><p>Her current focus is the Sauder d.studio, a research and teaching studio that helps students and organizations learn to use design processes and tools to co-create innovative solutions to complex problems. She has brought her education and professional background in urban design and landscape architecture to bear on a variety of leadership positions.</p><p><br></p><p>Moura’s experience includes Deputy Minister of the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, Research and Innovation, responsible for updating strategic oversight systems for 25 institutions including the research and innovation portfolio; leadership of the B.C.</p><p><br></p><p>Pacific Coast Collaborative as the BC Commissioner reporting to the Premier, for the Premier and Governors of Pacific Coast states in Canada and the United States; and transforming a faculty and diverse land and academic assets at the University of British Columbia first as Dean to update UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, and then as Associate VP, Academic Programs for the reorganization of UBC Okanagan.</p><p><br></p><p>She has served on the Board of Genome BC and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Her community work has included developing and serving as chair of a City of Vancouver Urban Landscape Task Force, and her current service on the Board of the Vancouver Economic Commission and as a representative to Leading Cities, a research partnership amongst global cities and their post secondary institutions.</p><p><br></p><p>She has been recognized as a Woman of Distinction by the YWCA , a Distinguished Alumna by UC Berkeley, and as an honorary Doctor of Science from The University of Guelph.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Oscar Mauricio Chamat is a civil engineer, a senior&nbsp;consultant in urban innovation, and an urban thinker. He currently advises the Barcelona Council for the network of bike lane expansion.</p><p><br></p><p>Chamat is also a lecturer of smart cities and citizen participation for the Externado de Colombia University. Since 2016, he has been co-producing the first podcast in Spanish about urban planning and the impact of technology in cities, where high representatives of cities and international organizations from more than 12 countries have been interviewed.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Previously, he was the executive director of the Colombia-Catalunya Chamber of Commerce, the delegate for Latin America for the Smart City Expo World Congress, and was the Barcelona representative in three European projects about the impact of technology and innovation in regional transformation.</p><p>‍</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">For Startups</span></p>

<div>Leading Cities, an international nonprofit organization, connects smart cities across the globe with innovations and insight to drive resiliency, equity, and sustainability.&nbsp;We believe that a methodical approach brings about the most transformative change.&nbsp;By cultivating a global network of forward thinkers from the public, private, academic, and nonprofit&nbsp;sectors,&nbsp;we work collaboratively to mitigate the frustrations inherent to&nbsp;bringing about&nbsp;ambitious change.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Our drive to bring resilience and prosperity is undaunted, delivering advanced research, emerging trends, and technologies through consulting services from global experts.&nbsp;Leading Cities partners with government leaders, startup companies, investors, and academics to&nbsp;keep cities evolving and working toward their potential, taking on challenges such as climate change,&nbsp;social justice,&nbsp;automation technology,&nbsp;cyber security,&nbsp;data analytics,&nbsp;accessibility,&nbsp;and&nbsp;global health.</div>

<div>Leading Cities is committed to support the development of resilient cities by connecting the dots and filling existing gaps in the growing municipal innovation ecosystem. We are reducing the risk and cost of government innovation.</div><div><br></div><div>Since our launch, we have achieved several remarkable outcomes, from strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems and brokering international trade agreements to publishing high impact research reports and sharing innovative public policies between municipalities.</div>

<p>Cory Bolotsky is an Associate at True Search, a global talent advisory platform that partners with hyper-growth technologies companies on executive hiring decisions.</p><p><br></p><p>Prior to joining True, Cory was Head of Platform and Community at Underscore VC, an early-stage technology venture capital firm in Boston.</p><p>Previously, Cory was Director of Global Operations at MassChallenge, a top-10 global startup accelerator, where he supported over 1,000 startups during his tenure and launched the firm’s offices in Israel and Mexico City.</p><p><br></p><p>Formerly, Cory was the Director of Startup Massachusetts, an Obama Administration initiative, where launched Startup Summer, a program that provided the region’s college students with startup internship opportunities.&nbsp;</p><p>Cory holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University.</p><p>‍</p>

<div><strong>QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge</strong></div><div><strong> Applications Open Friday, April 1st</strong></div>

<div>Three experienced Advisory Boards support the growth and impact of Leading Cities globally.</div>

<p>Leading Cities and Afkar Collective have partnered to explore the role of urban forests in climate resilience, highlighting how tree canopies can mitigate extreme heat, enhance disaster preparedness, and strengthen urban sustainability.</p>

<div><strong>Discover More</strong></div>

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">Resources﻿</span></p>

<p>David Garrofé has a Bachelor in law by the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has also taken part in the Senior Management Program (PADE) of the IESE.</p><p><br></p><p>He is currently the General Secretary of the Regional Business Confederation of Terrassa (CECOT), General Secretary of the <a href="http://www.bancat.com/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Business Angels Network of Catalonia</a> and General Secretary of the Spanish Network of Business Angels (ESBAN).&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

<div><strong>Attention Entrepreneurs:</strong></div><div>Compete for funding, clients and mentorship from global Smart City experts.</div><div><br></div>

<div><strong>Learn More </strong><a href="https://leadingcities.org/accelicity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><strong><u>HERE</u> </strong></a></div>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(203, 76, 117);">Over $2.2 Million</strong></p>

Barcelona

Boston

Dublin

Haifa

Hamburg

Lisboa

Lyon

Rio de Janeiro

Vancouver

Zapopan

<div>We have spent the last 12 years establishing and shaping the global landscape for the evaluation and implementation of Smart City best practices, projects, policies and standards. Recognized as a global leader in the field, Leading Cities proudly serves on numerous local and international governing bodies including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and G20:&nbsp;</div>

<div>More information:</div><div><a href="info@leadingcities.org " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">info@leadingcities.org </a></div><div>Phone: +1-617-506-3499</div><div>‍</div>

<div>The virtual world has dismantled borders and has made possible this unification and development of partnerships and policy innovations, thus realizing our mantra to create “global impact on the local level.”</div>

<p>Josep Lluís de la Rosa is a Full Professor at the University of Girona (UdG) in Spain and taught at the Rensselaer Institute of Technology (RPI) in New York, USA from 2008-2010.</p><p><br></p><p>Mr. De la Rosa is also the director of the Technology Research Centre Easy and of the Official Master in Smart Cities of the UdG. He received his MBA from UdG and his PhD in Computer Science from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).</p><p><br></p><p>Mr. De la Rosa is an expert in intelligent agents, social networks, virtual currencies, and digital preservation and their application to the market. With over 200 international publications and more than 20 PhD theses supervised, Mr. De la Rosa has contributed to the thought leadership and future of a new generation of business leaders and change agents.</p><p><br></p><p>He is a researcher with entrepreneurial vision that has created several spin-off companies starting from the first world robotic soccer team as early as 1996.</p><p><br></p><p>His research on complementary and virtual currencies started in 2006 and soon became fascinated by the disruption of Blockchain and SmartContracts technologies and their advantages. From that point forward, he has been working on this topic to design new types of money suitable for the Internet and many other applications.&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For Innovators</span></p>

<div>Ph.D especialized in the relations between society and technology, and risk analysis; I have a master in International Relations with a specialization in Peace and Security Studies by the IBEI (Barcelona’s Institute of International Relations) and a postgraduate degree in Project’s Management by the center of high academic studies of the Organization of Ibero-American States.</div><div><br></div><div><em>"I work as researcher at the Foundation of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and I'm also the local coordinator of the Leading Cities Network. Among my publications, the following are of particular significance Migration und Integration in Europa (Migration and integration in Europe) and Europa, La encrucijada de la civilización capitalista (The crossroads of capitalist civilization)."</em></div><div><br></div>

<p>Areti Markopoulou is a Greek PhD architect, researcher and urban technologist working at the intersection between architecture and digital technologies.</p><p><br></p><p>She currently holds the position of Academic Director at IAAC in Barcelona, and she leads the Advanced Architecture Group, a multidisciplinary research group exploring how design and science can positively impact and transform the present and future of our built environment.</p><p><br></p><p>Markopoulou is founder of Design Dynamics Studio, co-editor of Urban Next, a global network focused on rethinking architecture through the contemporary urban milieu and co-founder of StudioP52, a collective arts &amp; tech gallery.</p><p><br></p><p>Her research and practice focus on redefining the architecture of cities through an ecological and technological spectrum combining design with biotechnologies, new materials, digital fabrication and big data.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Ivan Caballero is a versatile leader, entrepreneur and strategist working toward a kinder society through inclusion and empowerment of our citizens. He has spent more than two decades founding successful and disruptive tech startups to improve our society. He carries out projects that apply technology and internet to social engagement, purpose driven entrepreneurship and citizen-oriented cities.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In 2013, he founded <a href="https://thesocialcoin.com/?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Social Coin</a>, a social movement to foster and track Acts of Kindness. Soon became a global movement and a game-changing technology for Social Responsibility for Companies, Universities and Smart Cities.</p><p><br></p><p>He now works with Citibeats, a real time awareness tool for social needs helping customers to react better and faster in fast changing social environments.&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Enda Kenny is ‘father’ of the current Dáil having been first elected in 1975 and re elected in 11 subsequent general elections.</p><p><br></p><p>He served as Minister for Education and Tourism and Trade and became Leader of Fine Gael in 2002.&nbsp;He led the Party for 15 years, the longest period of any Fine Gael Leader.</p><p><br></p><p>He became Taoiseach in March 2011 and again in May 2016, the first Fine Gael Leader to be re-elected as Taoiseach in successive elections.&nbsp;His party remains the largest Party in the Dáil. Under his leadership Fine Gael became the largest.</p><p><br></p><p>Under his leadership, through to May 2017, Ireland became the fastest growing EU country for 4 successive years; unemployment reduced from 15.2% to 6.3%; interest rates on Irish borrowing fell from 15% to zero, with the country’s credit rating restored and access to financial markets fully restored.</p><p><br></p><p>Enda Kenny has served as a Vice President of the European Peoples’ Party for 6 years and had full endorsement of his claim to have Northern Ireland recognised as a full member of the EU without having to re-apply after Brexit, were the Good Friday Agreement to be implemented by vote of the people.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Resilience isn’t a destination—it’s an ongoing commitment to building stronger, more sustainable communities. Leading Cities walks alongside those driving change, transforming bold ideas into real-world solutions that shape a more resilient and regenerative future. Here's how we can help you at every stage of ongoing resilience:</p>

<div><strong>2021 AcceliGOV Champion:</strong></div><div>The Free and Hanseatic City of&nbsp;Hamburg, Germany wins Bioo Education Pilot</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Read More </strong><a href="https://leadingcities.org/acceligov" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);"><strong><u>HERE</u></strong></a>.</div>

<p>A global research and knowledge exchange platform</p>

<p>AcceliGOV provides cities with fully funded pilot opportunities, matching cities with vetted solutions that address critical resilience challenges. This program allows cities to test emerging technologies in a real-world setting, reducing risk and paving the way for wider adoption.</p>

<div>Nan Zhao is a Ph.D. candidate in the Responsive Environments Group at the MIT Media Lab, where she works on Internet of Things that promote wellbeing and sustainability. Her work spans from intelligent building control to smart urban furniture and borrows from a variety of fields, including sensor technologies, wearable computing technology, and psychology.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nan is also co-founder of Changing Environments Inc, a venture-backed start-up developing technology for smarter cities. CE’s first product Soofa, a solar charging bench for public spaces, has received love and support from around the world.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Before joining the Media Lab, Nan conducted research in smart grid and vehicle-to-grid technology. As a fellow of RWE AG, a leading electricity and gas company in Germany, she was closely involved in the development and kick-off of a smart grid project in collaboration with IBM. She is a graduate in electrical engineering from RWTH Aachen University in Germany.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Nan Zhao’s work has been covered by Reuters, Spiegel, FAZ, The Boston Globe, CNN, MIT News, Engadget, and others.</div><div>‍</div>

<p>Brian Gregory is an architectural and urban designer who is passionate about the built environment, urban revitalization, and transportation. In his position as Lead Designer at Gamble Associates, he has overseen projects focusing on the rehabilitation of post-industrial waterfronts, civic masterplans, and institutional planning efforts.</p><p><br></p><p>He is the founding member and co-chair of the newly formed Boston Society of Architects Infra\tecture Committee, which seeks to act as a convener of design excellence by bringing together the professions that plan, design, and engineer Boston’s infrastructure.</p><p><br></p><p>A strong believer in civic engagement, Brian serves on the <a href="https://noahcdc.org/?q=about/boardofdirectors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Board of Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH),</a> the Boston Society of Architects Civic Task Force, East Boston 2030, and has recently joined the North-South Rail Link Working Group.</p><p><br></p><p>He has presented at the Architecture Boston Exposition, the Southern New England Regional Planning Conference, American Planning Association Northeast Conference, and American Institute of Architects Student Forum on topics focusing on public transportation, multi-modal systems, and positively harnessing growth within existing urban fabrics. Brian holds both a Bachelor of Science and Masters degree in Architecture from Northeastern University.&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(37, 53, 108);">Our start-ups have created</span></p>

<p>As the Global Sub-segment Manager for Parks and Plazas in Professional Systems at Philips Lighting, Susanne Seitinger is responsible for leading the strategy on smart cities for safe, inviting and responsive urban environments.</p><p><br></p><p>She recently published Light for Public Space which provides an extensive overview of recent city lighting design trends. Seitinger received a BA from Princeton University and a PhD, MS and MCP from MIT.</p><p><br></p><p>Her PhD dissertation—Liberated Pixels: Alternative Narratives for Lighting Future Cities—explored the aesthetic and interactive potentials for future lighting and display infrastructures.&nbsp;</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Andrew is the co-founder and CEO of Tolemi, which delivers property and neighborhood analytics for smart city governments.</p><p><br></p><p>This application aggregates, cleans, and standardizes data from across siloed departments, and gives city leaders an easy-to-use analytics tool to better run their city. Their first product, BuildingBlocks, launched one year ago to help cities triage and prevent nuisance properties.</p><p><br></p><p>Tolemi is backed by Y Combinator and Lightspeed Venture Partners, and they count New York City, Philadelphia, and Louisville among their 30+ customers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jonah Berman is Site Program Manager for Google Cambridge. In that role, he oversees employee programming and development and manages a variety of Google’s community partnerships in Cambridge and greater Boston.</p><p><br></p><p>Prior to this role, Jonah worked for 5 years in Large Customer Sales at Google, consulting some of Google’s largest clients in the healthcare space on their digital advertising strategies. Jonah holds an MBA from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin College &amp; Conservatory.</p><p><br></p><p>He lives with his wife and two sons in Medfield, MA.</p><p>‍‍</p>

<p>HBO Documentary Films Premiere Of "Addiction" - After PartyMichael Stanley Dukakis is an American politician who served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts, from 1975 to 1979 and 1983 to 1991 respectively.</p><p><br></p><p>He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the second Greek-American governor in U.S. history, after Spiro Agnew.</p><p><br></p><p>He was nominated by the Democratic Party for president in the 1988 election.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Leading Cities bridges the disconnect between sustainable innovation and government.&nbsp;</p>

<div><strong>ANNOUNCING</strong></div><div><strong>QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge </strong></div><div><strong style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);">City Solution of the Year</strong></div><div><br></div><div>From more than 500 applicants, one solution-- Pharem Biotech-- emerges as global champion.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Read More </strong><a href="https://leadingcities.org/accelicity" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(235, 87, 125);"><strong><u>HERE</u></strong></a>.</div>

<p>Appointed in September 2019, Niels Van Duinen is COO of Fonroche Lighting America, US subsidiary of the French company Fonroche Lighting, world's leading provider of off-grid solar lighting solutions, including the world's largest-ever public solar lighting project with 50,000 solar streetlights in Senegal.</p><p><br></p><p>Fonroche recently acquired SolarOne, headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts and a pioneer in solar lighting and market leader in the United States. Based in the US, in France and in the Middle East, Niels previously worked for Philips Lighting, in the fields of design, marketing, innovation and in particular on digital transformation, IoT (Lighting) systems and data-enabled services.</p><p><br></p><p>Niels is Dutch and US citizen and studied Industrial Design Engineering at the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands where he graduated in 1991. He now resides in Lexington, Massachusetts.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Sam Klar is a member of GMO’s Event-Driven investing team, focusing on merger arbitrage and other corporate actions.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Prior to his current role, he held a variety of positions in GMO’s Global Equity group, engaging in investment research, portfolio management and strategy for U.S. and Global Equity portfolios.&nbsp;</p><p>Sam joined GMO in 2006 after graduating summa cum laude from Northeastern University with a degree in Finance.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>At Northeastern, he served in student government and was a member of the school’s elite business strategy case competition team.&nbsp;Sam’s extensive experience in connecting the dots between companies and markets will bring a broad perspective to Leading Cities’ mission.</p><p>‍</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">For Cities</span></p>

<p>Phase 4: Investment &amp; Fundraising</p>

<p>A Sustainable Pilot Scaling Program</p>

<div>Leading Cities started as a network of ten cities focused on collaborative urban research.</div><div>These 10 Founding Cities helped forge the direction, vision, tools and opportunities now accessible by any municipal government in the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<p>Tyler is General Manager of Lyft in New England. Lyft is working to provide the world’s greatest transportation service with safe, convenient, and affordable rides.</p><p><br></p><p>Tyler is a veteran of the sharing and transportation technology segments with ten years at Zipcar, first in new market launches and finally as its Fleet Operations Director.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Upon completing a two-year fellowship at MIT, Malia Lazu returned to Boston to build nonprofit models for the 21st century.&nbsp;</p><p>With over two decades of experience establishing grassroots involvement in political advocacy and civic engagement, Malia felt the nonprofit industry is no longer creating safe spaces for humans to create change together and is in need of disruption.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>This lead to the creation of Future Boston Alliance and currently Epicenter Community, organizations working to change the world by being intentional when building diverse communities and celebrating the beautiful ways we are different. Over the last few years, Malia has created and led several signature programs.</p><p><br></p><p>For example, Accelerate Boston, a startup accelerator encouraging entrepreneurs in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan to start their business.&nbsp;Now on its fourth year, Accelerate Boston has helped 16 businesses open and thrive. June tenth at the MFA, a celebration of African American freedom.&nbsp;This annual event attracts 4000 diverse people.</p><p>‍</p>

<div>The “United for Smart Sustainable Cities” (U4SSC) is a UN initiative to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". U4SSC serves as the global platform to advocate for public policy and to encourage the use of ICTs to facilitate and ease the transition to smart sustainable cities.&nbsp;</div>

<p>LC3 helps cities scale proven climate solutions by standardizing deployment models and aggregating demand across multiple municipalities. By blending public, private, and philanthropic funding, it lowers financial and logistical barriers, making resilient solutions more accessible and impactful.</p>

<p>AcceliCITY is a global accelerator that helps startups scale technology-driven solutions for urban resilience and sustainability by connecting them with city leaders, funding, and expert mentorship. Through the QBE AcceliCITY Resilience Challenge and the QBE AcceliCITY Humanitech Challenge, entrepreneurs receive over $125,000 in prizes, pilot opportunities, and a certified curriculum in public-private partnership readiness. With direct access to decision-makers and ongoing support beyond the challenge, AcceliCITY turns innovation into real-world impact.</p>

<p>Konstantinos Kourkoutas is a Greek Urbanist, Engineer and researcher living in Barcelona for the last 11 years where he participated in different national and European research programs on urban and territorial development focusing on different European metropolis and the Barcelona Metropolitan area in concrete, as well as working in different architectural and engineering firms.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>He is currently working in the Strategic Development Unit of the Research department of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) where he is coordinating a multidisciplinary research cluster on Smart and Sustainable Cities with over 35 research groups, centers and institutions.</p><p><br></p><p>Parallel to research coordination, Mr. Kourkoutas is responsible for topics related to open innovation and living labs within the strategic development of the university. He also organizes programs and tools for territorial transfer knowledge and cooperation with local agents (administrations, technological centres).</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Daniela Rubio participates in the development and implementation of projects regarding inclusive education and job integration for people with special needs.</p><p><br></p><p>Ms. Rubio particularly works with Apple technologies in order to enhance pedagogical methods and to help in creating accessible educational and professional materials by giving customized support to parents, teachers and individual users. In addition, she works closely with developers and evaluates Internet based platforms and mobile apps to make them more inclusive.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Since 2013, Carme has been part of the <a href="https://www.apple.com/education/k12/apple-distinguished-educator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Distinguished Educators </a>global team, and in 2014 she joined the EMEIA Apple Distinguished Educators Advisory Board. In 2015, she founded Macneticos group in synergy with other qualified consultants. Together, they carry out projects such as socially sustainable digital accessibility, web content and app accessibility, and communication and marketing strategies.&nbsp;‍</p><p>‍</p>

<div>The World Economic Forum serves as the secretariat&nbsp;of the Alliance, which&nbsp;comprises fifteen of the world’s leading city networks and technology governance organizations. The partners represent more than 200,000 cities and local governments, leading companies, start-ups, research institutions, and civil society organizations.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

<p>Carles Agustí Hernàndez is a Governance Consultant (Open Government, Big Data, Smart Cities and SDG’s), SDG Certified and international speaker about this issues with attendance in more than 100 congresses.</p><p><br></p><p>Currently the CEO of Data Coach, a consultancy and advice projects in governance, an IFBICT Spain Country Officer, Senior Advisor in Doxa.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>C.I.V.I.C. is a matchmaking program connecting investors with pre-vetted smart city startups focused on sustainability and resilience. By curating investment opportunities and fostering key connections, it accelerates funding for transformative urban solutions.</p>

<p>Co-founder and Global Director of AGENCY</p>

<p>Dan is a long-time city enthusiast and principal growth strategist, entrepreneur and startup mentor with 20+ years of experience raising capital, digitally transforming, managing and optimizing operations, scaling, and building sustainable products and services across cities, environments, financial services, food and beverage, ocean, retail, smart technology and transportation communities.&nbsp;Currently: Managing Director: Cenotech Solutions.</p><p><br></p><p>Dan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Amherst College and spent summers interning on Capitol Hill and at CNN.&nbsp;Dan lives in Brookline, MA with his wife and two daughters and actively serves on the board and advises innovative organizations.</p><p><br></p><p>“I have been involved with the consulting and startup communities for years and enjoy working with high impact entrepreneurs, investors and startups looking to make cities and the world a better and more sustainable place.”</p><p>‍</p>

<p>As the only known faculty to simultaneously hold appointments across 3 different colleges (<a href="https://damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D'Amore-McKim School of Business</a>; <a href="https://cps.northeastern.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">College of Arts, Media and Design</a>; and College of Professional Studies) and 4 programs within Northeastern University, Chad O’Connor teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Advertising &amp; Brand, Organizational Culture, and Crisis Communication.</p><p><br></p><p>He is also a startup advisor for <a href="https://www.northeastern.edu/idea/about-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IDEA, Northeastern’s venture accelerator program</a>,<a href="https://www.northeastern.edu/vmn/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> the university's Venture Mentor Network</a>, and independently to <a href="https://fluxio.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fluxio</a> in Lisbon.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Chad was an active supporter of <a href="https://news.northeastern.edu/tag/world-class-cities-partnership/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Class Cities Partnership</a> when it was housed at Northeastern, and has remained engaged with its advisory board since it transitioned to the independent Leading Cities.</p><p><br></p><p>He also served with Michael Lake as a founding Connector for <a href="https://commonwealthmagazine.org/uncategorized/017-boston-world-partnerships-calls-it-quits/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Boston World Partnerships</a>, a nonprofit initiative launched by former mayor of Boston Thomas Menino. In doing so, he became the former contributing editor of the <a href="https://www.boston.com/?s=Global+Business+Hub" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Global Business Hub blog</a> on The Boston Globe’s Boston.com site.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Chad is an undergrad alumnus of UMass Amherst and a grad alumnus of Emerson College. When not at the gym, walking his dog, or going to punk shows, Chad invites you to discuss travel deals and Boston pro sports over craft beers.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Managing Partner of Infinitum Projects, a company dedicated to investing and launching technological projects.</p><p><br></p><p>Our model is based on investment and co-management with entrepreneurs to ensure the success of the selected projects. The investor participates in these companies, which have a turnover of 22.5M euros.</p><p><br></p><p>A managing partner of Blockchain Enki SL, Bimized BCN SL, Kiploc, lotip, and partner of Populetic.‍</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Carme Trinidad is a social psychologist that started to work at them university as a social psychology lecturer.</p><p><br></p><p>She quickly learned that she had no idea about teaching and began studying learning processes, communication, conflict management, dialog methods. Her challenge was to construct dialog and learning processes in digital platforms.</p><p><br></p><p>Her activity is growing around two axes: conflict management and education of neuroscience. She is a consultant and works with nimby’s processes, seemingly impossible dialogues, community conversations and peace culture.</p><p><br></p><p>She trains mediators and teachers to help schools teach children how to increase awareness of their surroundings and actively engaged with the world around them.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Leading Cities has developed a&nbsp;6&nbsp;pillar Smart Ecosystem with activities to support the advancement of Smart City solutions through collaboration.</p>

<p>Khanna is a leading global strategist, world traveler, and best-selling author. He is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.</p><p><br></p><p>He is also the Managing Partner of Hybrid Reality, a boutique geostrategic advisory firm, and Co-Founder &amp; CEO of Factotum, a leading content branding agency. Parag’s latest book is Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017).</p><p><br></p><p>He is author of a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016).</p><p><br></p><p>He is also co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012). In 2008, Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.”</p><p>‍</p>

<div>A program built to drive City Excellence through Startup Success.</div>

Winner name 

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<p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Investors</span></p>

<p>The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is a publicly-funded agency dedicated to accelerating the success of clean energy technologies, companies and projects in the Commonwealth—while creating high-quality jobs and long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts.</p><p><br></p><p>Since it began operating in 2009, MassCEC has helped clean energy companies grow, supported municipal clean energy projects and invested in residential and commercial renewable energy installations, creating a robust marketplace for innovative clean technology companies and service providers.</p><p><br></p><p>Bob has been Director of Government Affairs at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center since 2012. In addition to his duties as Director of Government Affairs he also recently took over as the chief point of contact for international affairs at MassCEC.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Prior to joining MassCEC he worked in the legislature for 10 years, most recently as Chief of Staff to Senator Patricia Jehlen (D) Somerville. Originally from Cambridge MA he now lives in Medford with his wife, Ellen FitzPatrick. Bob has his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Northeastern University and a JD from Suffolk Law.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Leading Cities' Commitment to Action with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) pledges to deploy 100 smart city solutions in 100 cities worldwide, accelerating urban resilience and sustainability. Discover the partnership.</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Industry</span></p>

<div>With its global network of world-class cities and towns, Leading Cities has developed tools and programs to share best practices, solutions and lessons learned among city leaders.</div>

<p>An “accounting major-turned entrepreneur in the video game industry who considered becoming a social worker to work with orphans,” Vicky Wu Davis is the Founder and Executive Director of Youth CITIES.</p><p><br></p><p>Vicky created Youth CITIES to introduce teens to the concept of entrepreneurship and innovation, and to leverage that in ways to improve the fabric of society.&nbsp;&nbsp;Vicky is determined to shift the mindset that entrepreneurship is only for “business-minded people”; she firmly believes that an entrepreneurial mindset embodies critical skills are applicable in all areas of life.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Her desire is to reach as many teens as possible…and as many different types of teens as possible…challenging them to think critically, and inspiring them to act innovatively.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Outside of Youth CITIES, Vicky runs a program that teaches Chinese as a second-language to very young kids —&nbsp;leveraging the natural curiosity of children and the inquiry-based/hands-on learning from STEM experiments.&nbsp;She started this program when her older son rejected traditional classroom-style learning in Chinese school.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In addition, Vicky is also a member of <a href="https://beaconangels.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Beacon Angels</a>, a Boston-based angel group that makes investments in the $100,000 to $300,000 range in small fast-growing companies.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>The Leading Cities Academy (LCA) is a certified curriculum designed to help startups and entrepreneurs navigate public-private partnerships (PPP), city procurement, and urban innovation. While LCA is a core part of AcceliCITY, it is also available as a standalone program for those looking to deepen their understanding of working with cities. Participants receive expert-led training on critical topics like securing government contracts, scaling in the public sector, and attracting smart city investors. Upon completion, startups earn a PPP Readiness Certification. </p>

<p>Ryan Pace is Director of Real Estate Legal Services for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Investment Management Company.&nbsp;Ryan is a transactional real estate attorney whose work focuses on permitting, leasing, acquisition and development matters with a particular focus on the life science and educational sectors.</p><p><br></p><p>Before joining MIT, Ryan was a partner at Anderson &amp; Kreiger LLP, where he founded the firm’s real estate practice, and he has over 18 years of experience as a real estate attorney.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Ryan is an active member of the Urban Land Institute’s Real Estate Advisory Committee where he has served on a number of Technical Assistance Panels which bring ULI members into communities to advise on a range of land use challenges.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Ryan has co-chaired TAPs addressing the housing challenges of Provincetown and redevelopment challenges in Worcester.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Nigel Jacob is the Co-founder of the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, a civic innovation incubator and R&amp;D Lab within Boston’s City Hall. Nigel’s work is about making urban life better via innovative, people-oriented applications of technology and design.</p><p><br></p><p>Prior to joining the City of Boston in 2006, Nigel worked in a series of technology start-ups in the Boston area. He was also previously the Urban Technologist in Residence at Living Cities, a philanthropic collaboration of 22 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions, is currently a board member at organizations such as <a href="https://www.codeforamerica.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Code For America</a> and <a href="https://www.courbanize.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">coUrbanize</a>, and is an Executive-in-Residence at Boston University.</p><p>‍</p>

<p>Since its inception, <strong>Leading Cities</strong> has directly supported, mentored, and provided growth opportunities to <strong>hundreds of startups</strong>, driving real-world impact through innovation, collaboration, and strategic partnerships.</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For Government</span></p>

<div>The G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance on Technology Governance unites municipal, regional and national governments, private-sector partners and cities’ residents around a shared set of principles for the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies.&nbsp;</div>