Global Thought Leaders

"We are proud that the Intelligent Community Forum calls New York home."  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg

In 2001, Michael Bloomberg was elected the 108th Mayor of the City of New York and went on to become one of the most popular political leaders in the city's history.  Prior to his career in public service, he managed the trading information systems of Salomon Brothers and then, in 1981, founded Bloomberg LP, which became one of the world's leading financial news and information services with 9,500 employees in more than 100 cities.  He is also a major philanthropist who has served on the boards of numerous charitable, cultural and educational institutions, including John Hopkins University, where the prestigious School of Hygiene and Public Health was renamed the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“The work of the Intelligent Community Forum to recognize, study and promote the advancement of communities is essential everywhere, but perhaps most important in communities like those in our nation.  It is in places like Afghanistan where access to the world’s information infrastructure and best practices is the key for helping Afghanistan to determine the outcome of its cultural and religious challenge, political reformation and assurance of prosperity for our children.” - His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

In 2006, ICF named Afghanistan's Minister of Communications, Amirzai Sangin, as its Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year for his work in bringing modern fiber, microwave and cellular communications to Afghanistan's government, military and major cities, with the support of the World Bank and other funding agencies.

"The ICF is an important advocate of best practices for economic and social development in the 21st Century.  Waterloo, Canada was recognized by the ICF as the world’s Top Intelligent Community 2007 and Waterloo is an excellent example of a community that is succeeding in the global economy and that has embraced many of the ICF’s tenets to foster a collaborative spirit between residents, government, business and academic institutions." - Jim Balsillie

Research in Motion (RIM) co-founder Jim Balsillie has served as the co-CEO of the world-renowned BlackBerry smartphone manufacturer since 1992.   At RIM, Jim is responsible for driving corporate strategy, business development, marketing, sales, and finance.  He has also chaired the Intelligent Waterloo Leadership Group.

"We were very honored to be named the Intelligent Community of the Year for 2008. The award is especially a proud and memorable one because we are on the verge of entering into the so-called 'second decade of the digital age.' For three consecutive years, we were nominated as one of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities, and this would not have been possible without the ICF's annual requirements and challenges for us to strive for excellence. We have pushed forward our projects based on adaptability, high skills, and innovation in order to provide our citizens with high-quality administrative services, minimize their opportunity costs, and enable them to participate in major policy decisions that affect their lives." - Mayor Maeng Jung Ju

Maeng Jung Ju is the Mayor of Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea.  Mayor Maeng has spent more than 30 years in public service in positions with the national Economic Planning Board, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and as an advisor to the National Assembly.  Prior to his election as Mayor in 2006, he served as the President of the Korea Securities Finance Corporation. 

"The work Cisco is bringing forward in the area of Broadband Government, of which Connected Urban Development is an important element, is modeled in part on ideas first introduced by the Intelligent Community Forum.  I consider the work they do outstanding and world-class."  - Nicola Villa

Nicola Villa is the Global Director of Cisco's Connected Urban Development program.  The program is part of the commitment Cisco provided to the Clinton Global Initiative, and it is aimed at developing innovative ICT & Broadband solutions in large metropolitan areas to stimulate CO2 emissions reductions.  Nicola has a strong focus on Innovation policy and is collaborating with central government agencies, often at Cabinet level, in supporting the creation of national Innovation & ICT strategies, as well as national Broadband strategies. An Italian national, Mr. Villa is a member of the ComOnline e-Board, an innovative shared services eGovernment organization in the Italian city of Como, and he also collaborates with the University of Padua and the Politecnico of Milan as lecturer at MBA courses.

"As our government continues its quest to drive transformational change, perhaps no industry sector plays a more vital role than that of our information, communications and technology community.  These companies are vital not only in our knowledge industry economy but also as key drivers of growth and innovation.  As Premier, being recognized as ICF’s “Visionary of the Year” is quite an honor, but in accepting this award, I did so on behalf of the many vibrant, successful and visionary information, communications and technology companies in New Brunswick." - Premier Shawn Graham

Shawn Graham is the 31st Premier of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.  In 2010, Premier Graham was named ICF's Visionary of the Year for making New Brunswick the nation's first Broadband Province. 

"The founders of the Intelligent Community Forum are visionaries. They, before anyone else in the world, understood the importance of sharing and exchanging best practices to accelerate development within our communities." - Mayor Andre Santini 

Andre Santini is the Mayor of the City of Issy-les-Moulineaux, a two-time Top Seven Intelligent Community of the Year, as well as France's Minister of State for Civil Service.  In 2009, he was named ICF's Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year.

"With over half the world's citizens now living in cities, our governments, universities and businesses need not only to collaborate, but to invent and innovate in new ways that make our cities more vibrant, prosperous, sustainable, and secure.  At the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, we are pleased to be a partner with the ICF and to support its essential role in designing a better future for the world's urban communities."- Jerry Hultin

On July 1, 2005, Jerry Hultin was appointed Polytechnic Institute of NYU’s 10th president in its 150-year history.  Before joining Polytechnic, he was the dean of the Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management and professor of management at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. As dean, he was responsible for the leadership of the institute’s newest academic school, formed in 1997.  From 1997 to 2000, he served as under secretary of the U.S. Navy, the department’s No. 2 civilian leader. In this position, he led numerous programs that supported innovation in strategic vision, war fighting and business operations to meet the evolving needs of the Navy and Marine Corps in the 21st century. He helped direct a department composed of two military services, the U.S. Navy and the U. S. Marine Corps.

"For years, the Intelligent Community Forum has been scouring the world to find – and to salute - communities that are remaking themselves through digital and access technologies. I use the Forum as my 'tipster' for where to look for community innovations in broadband activities and apps that the rest of the world will be emulating in a few years. The Forum never fails to teach me things I didn’t know about places that are on the cutting edge."

Lee Rainie is the Founder and Director of the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. In 2010, ICF presented one of its Founders Awards to the Internet & American Life project to honor the substantial contributions it has made to understanding the impact of the Internet on society and individuals.