Nicola Villa is a senior director working in Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG). Nicola is the Global Director of the Public Sector Practice. Nicola’s group engages with globally innovative public sector organizations on Open Innovation programs in the central government, local government, education and public safety spaces. Prior to that, Nicola managed Cisco’s Connected Urban Development program. The program was part of the commitment Cisco provided to the Clinton Global Initiative, and it aimed at developing innovative ICT & Broadband solutions in large metropolitan areas to stimulate CO2 emissions reductions.

Nicola is also an Executive member of the board of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Urbanization program. He is also an advisor to Metropolis, the global network of metropolitan regions, through its Partnership for Urban Innovation commission

Prior to this, Nicola worked as Head of Local Government and Broadband within Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group, being in charge of local government consulting activities across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. He also set up the Internet Business Solutions Group’s consulting operations in Southern Europe. In 1998, Nicola developed and run Cisco’s first Internet Commerce program, the world’s largest business to business e-commerce website at the time of its implementation.

Nicola has a strong focus on Innovation and Sustainability 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.

Mr. Villa is an Italian national who has been living in the UK and in the Netherlands for several years. He studied Business Economics at the Universita’ Cattolica in Milan and at the Brighton University in the UK. He wrote his thesis on Industrial Economics, analyzing the effects of Technical standardization policies on the Internet and on the GSM telephony markets.