Chief information officer, Cary, North Carolina

Nicole Coughlin is an award-winning technology executive who serves as the chief information officer for Cary, North Carolina. She is the principal strategist and architect for information technology and digital marketing across the organisation. Coughlin is at the forefront of the smart cities movement, creating a connected community through piloting and implementing IoT technologies in the public sector.

Coughlin participates in numerous conferences and summits as a keynote speaker and panelist. Her work has been profiled in several case studies as she continuously pursues new models of digital transformation for collaborative citizen-facing solutions. By fostering partnerships both locally and nationally, she leverages her private-sector background to fuel civic innovation in ways not previously seen in local government projects. Prior to her work in government she spent years in various IT leadership positions in the private sector, leading development teams in the U.S. and internationally.

Coughlin is currently serving a two year appointment to the Department of Commerce Internet of Things (IoT) Advisory Board. She also serves on the CompTIA IoT Advisory Board.