Hardik Bhatt

Chief information Officer of the City of Chicago

In February 2006, Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Hardik Bhatt as Chief information Officer of the City of Chicago. He also serves as Commissioner of the Department of Business and Information Services (BIS), the municipal agency responsible for meeting the technology needs of 37,000 employees in 46 City departments.

Under Hardik’s tenure, BIS has become a major center within city government for innovation and private sector partnerships. He is leading the creation of the Community Wireless Broadband Network, a project that will leverage private partnerships to provide affordable high speed Internet access to all Chicago residents, businesses and community organizations.

Through his leadership, the department has initiated numerous innovations to enhance the citizen – government interaction and allow city departments to function more efficiently. Chicago’s 3-1-1 system allows citizens to request city services quickly and easily. Chicago residents can apply for a municipal job through the web, pay parking tickets online, and request a City service or report a problem via the City web site or non-emergency 3-1-1 phone number. They can also obtain valuable information online ranging from emergency preparedness updates and restaurant health inspection results to towed vehicle locations.

In addition to encouraging the use of technology in municipal government, Hardik is an equally active advocate for the development of Chicago’s technology community as a whole. He serves as co-chair of the Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors, a group of private and public sector leaders focused on creating digital excellence, building the information technology workforce, and fostering technology-based economic development in Chicago. He is also a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Bridging the Digital Divide, created to help the City take the lead in bringing the benefits of technology to all of its residents. Hardik is a frequent promoter of Chicago at technology conferences in America and abroad, having recently spoken at events in Los Angeles, Washington and Seoul, South Korea.

A native of India, Hardik has made Chicago his home since he first moved to the United States. Prior to joining the City, he served as a consultant with Oracle Corporation and Tata Consulting Services. He holds a masters degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor of engineering in computer science from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, India. He resides in Chicago with his wife Jagruti and their two young children.