Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management

Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, India

SDI Presence

Chief Executive Officer

World Business Chicago

Board Member

What are we made of? How did the universe begin? What secrets do the smallest, most elemental particles of matter hold, and how can they help us understand the intricacies of space and time?

Since 1967, Fermilab has worked to answer these and other fundamental questions and enhance our understanding of everything we see around us. As the United States' premier particle physics laboratory, we do science that matters. We work on the world's most advanced particle accelerators and dig down to the smallest building blocks of matter. We also probe the farthest reaches of the universe, seeking out the nature of dark matter and dark energy. 

As a board member, I help the FermiLabs leadership drive successful outcomes for key research and development initiatives. As the chair for Cybersecurity Committee, I help the team learn from industry best practices, to ensure research and information at America's premier particles research lab remains secure.

Fermi National Labs

Board Member and Chair, Cybersecurity committee

Investing in startups is key to economic growth of our country, our state and our regions. Paypal co-founder Peter Theil writes in his book "Zero to One", less than 1% of startups get venture investment, but 11% of new jobs created in the US come from venture-backed startups. Venture investment makes up for 0.2% of the country's GDP, but successful venture-backed companies end up generating 21% of country's GDP.

I contribute to the transformation of early stage investing by providing unique value to entrepreneurs and investors and driving startup growth and investment success—an approach that has driven Hyde Park to become the largest and most active Angel Group in the Midwest.

Angel Investor

President & Chief Growth Officer

For the last 3 years I was building Digital Government and Transportation verticals from ground-up for AWS' US State & Local Governments business. It gave me an opportunity to work with and learn from the some of the best sales leaders in the SLED space. After successfully taking that part of the business from a startup to a moderately mature level, I took on a new challenge within AWS. 

Governments, across the globe, are looking for fast, inexpensive, nimble solutions that can provide better constituent experience, and improve efficiency of scarce resources. They are looking to improve outcomes for agriculture and farming, conserve water, energy, and other precious resources, improve quality of life of their constituents through better public safety, transportation, and healthcare. Startups across the globe are building innovative solutions using horizontal technologies, such as, AI/ML, Analytics, IoT, Robotics, Drones, Quantum, and more to solve these generational issues. In this new role, my team and I will help these startups build their solutions on AWS and connect them with public sector customers to address their challenges.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

GM, Digital Governance VC and Startups, WorldWide Public Sector

It has been fun building and leading Amazon's Digital Government business for the US State & Local Governments. Digital Government includes four distinct businesses - Smart Cities, Transportation, Customer Engagement and Government Operations. While AWS is growing at 35% YoY (as of Q3 2019), goal for my Digital Government business is much higher than that, as we are still an early stage startup within AWS.

Governors and Mayors want to give an Amazon Prime like experience to their constituents. You should be able to log in once and renew all your licenses. You should be able to simply ask Alexa to pay your water bill. At the same time, a constituent should expect their government to be as efficient as possible. We focus on helping these leaders, our customers, realize their vision. We are helping our State & Local Government customers to make their constituents' expectations, a reality with Amazon's processes, principles, and technology. Great thing about it is that it does not apply only to the Public Sector, this approach works across all industries.

Leader, Digital Government & Transportation

I was recruited to spearhead an end-to-end organizational transformation and drive innovation. I have created an business outcome-focused mindset; formed Centers of Excellence to develop and implement key strategies; and instituted 75-day sprints, QBRs, IT investment best practices, and disciplined program delivery.
-Grew tech ranking from bottom 4th to top 3rd, encompassing efficiency, resource productivity, customer satisfaction, and mobile / cloud penetration. 
-Merged 38 IT departments into a unified organization.  

Transformed the culture into a borderless, collaborative, risk-friendly greenfield startup including implementation of Board of Directors, leadership team scorecards, working groups, and CoEs. I leveraged my extensive executive network to recruit innovative leaders and promoted previously unrecognized internal talent. Finally, I enhanced employee engagement and process transparency through regular in-person and virtual town hall meetings. 
-Created consistent vision and leadership approach via recruitment and hire of C-level leadership team.  
-Ensured high employee retention by building excitement / enthusiasm. 

Piloted the organization to fully embrace Social, Media, Analytics, and Cloud. 
-Grew number of mobile customer interactions by 500% through apps and mobile-responsive web.  
-Built Data Analytics practice creating BI tools to enable data-driven decision making. 

Pioneered and championed a comprehensive Smarter State strategy encompassing IoT, Analytics, Mobility, and Blockchain, and built internal IoT, Analytics and Mobility CoE.
-Built global reputation for innovation supporting incubators / entrepreneurship.
-Forged key partnerships with multiple countries and states to exchange Smart State strategies and technologies.

Created a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, built the business case, and demonstrated ROI for security investment. 
-Established Cybersecurity as a business priority
-Transformed mindset to proactive defense.

State of Illinois

Secretary of Dept of Innovation & Technology & State CIO

CIVIQ Smartscapes (January 2017 - Present)
I was recruited to provide key subject-matter expertise and leadership for this privately held, mid-size organization building highly intelligent, ultra-connected smart communications infrastructure, applications, and networks that seamlessly blend into streets, transit, and public spaces to provide effortless connection with key data monitoring.  


Xaptum Corporation (February 2016 - Present)
I was approached to guide this innovative, security-centric IoT startup. Xaptum focuses on Internet "for" Things with edge network fabric providing a secure messaging layer between millions of sensors and the Cloud / application infrastructure to move data securely between device and the Cloud. 

Led deal valuation and due diligence.
-Spearheaded initial round of seed funding to drive secure outcomes for IoT. Currently in preparation for “A” round.
-Forged relationships with key institutional / individual investors.
-Provided business, technology, and investment direction to the Founder / CEO.


Uno Charter School Network (February 2015 - Present)
I provide leadership and guidance for this 16-school non-profit charter school network founded to affect positive change in predominantly Hispanic communities.

UCSN’s first school, UCSN Octavio Paz Elementary, was founded in 1998. UCSN is focused on advancing the lives of community residents by challenging students, parents, and faculty to reach the highest academic standards. Over the past 18+ years, UCSN has increased educational opportunities for deserving and capable students in Chicago by expanding its network to include 12 K-8 elementary schools, two high schools, and one K-12 school.

CIVIQ Smartscapes, Xaptum Corporation, Uno Charter School Network

Board Director

I was promoted to drive global market / business development for Cisco’s Smart and Connected Communities (S+CC) and Internet of Everything (IoE). I established iconic customer reference accounts in major global cities and built executive partnerships to establish and refine IoE vision. Created key partnerships, business / revenue models, and technology solutions. Conceptualized key global S+CC / IoT solutions. 

I developed and executed strategies to develop partnerships with marquee clients to build Cisco's reputation as a market leader by building Smart and Connected Communities (S+CC) and connecting unconnected assets. I leveraged Smart City expertise to grow our reputation as trusted partner for large, marquee infrastructure projects—supporting future Sales team efforts to bring key products to market. I qualified large business opportunities and structured complex deals among Cisco, customers, and partners. 
-Enabled explosive market growth by establishing Cisco as IoE market and thought leader.
-Consistently beat aggressive overlay booking target.
-Played key role in enabling Brazil to host 2014 FIFA World Cup, Toronto to host the 2015 PanAm Games, and Rio to host the 2016 Olympics and Paralympic Games. 
-Built foundation for multiple high-profile, end-to-end vertical IoT solutions—contributing directly to creation of IoT World Forum. 
-Partnered with City of Barcelona to create IoT capabilities including ubiquitous WiFi, LED sensors, parking, and Smart transportation—dramatically growing revenues and providing a Proof of Concept for 200+ global customers.  
-Created IoE Lighthouse Program to demonstrate current and future IoE capabilities. 
-Delivered the largest, single contribution towards global S+CC consulting revenue goal through partnership with a Chicago real estate developer transforming 600-acre parcel of previously industrial land into a Smart and Connected mixed-use community.

Cisco

Senior Director Global BD (2014-15), Director BD Americas (2012-14), Director BD (2010-12), S+CC

I was recruited to leverage technology to improve governance across the City of Chicago. 
-Renegotiated large-scale infrastructure modernization and outsourcing contract funding major modernization efforts via unique negotiation strategy.  
-Grew efficiency through elimination of legacy manual processes and delivered superior customer service during reduction in force via introduction of mobile apps. 
-Introduced Smart City concept and championed Smart Chicago program to win major grant funding to grow sustainable, holistic technology penetration across multiple verticals. 
-Streamlined and consolidated multiple, inconsistent processes into efficient "1-stop" strategy through creation of Innovation Center focused on leveraging zero-cost design research from major local universities.
-Launched Open Data Platform to enable local, entrepreneurial culture while dramatically curtailing Freedom of Information (FOIA) request time.
-Achieved #2 Digital City ranking and increased customer satisfaction and engagement through transformation of flagship website. 
-Championed technology education for the underserved through partnership with 40 private sector organizations to establish new technology charter high school in a troubled South Side neighborhood.
-Represented Chicago in 2016 Olympics / Paralympics bid.

City of Chicago

Commissioner, Dept of Innovation & Technology and CIO

I led the creation and early adoption of intelligent transportation systems, including Traffic Management Center.
-Spearheaded pilot project to leverage cellular data to provide Smart traffic predictions.

Deputy Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems

-Led development of online records / analytics solution to enable smart policing—contributing to reduction in overall crime rate.

Hardik Bhatt