IBM concluded ESC in Katowice

IBM in cooperation with the City Hall of Katowice has finished the second stage of the Executive Service Corps initiative. Final recommendations were presented today during a press conference. The group of six top IBM managers from the United States, Singapore and India were living and working in the City for three weeks to analyze strategic growth areas. They were carrying on the work of Team 1 which had visited Katowice in May.

During they stay, the IBMers were meeting with the City authorities, Voivodeship government, academia, local businesses and organizations representatives to listen theirs opinion and to collect necessary information. In effect, the Team 2 prepared a set of recommendations which would become a part of a long-term economic development plan. The managers defined three key areas which are crucial and prospective for the future development of Katowice:

1. the City of culture and commerce (area of economic growth and marketing strategy)
2. the well planned City (area of public transport system and crisis management)
3. the City of innovation

• To develop the first recommendation (the City of culture and commerce) Katowice should implement:
  - a 3 to 5 year strategy of growth in conjunction with overall Katowice Economic Development plan
  - a City of Katowice Economic Development Plan Committee and a Project Team including key members of the Ecosystem of stakeholders
  - a Management System in support of Economic Development Plan; along with Committee concept to ensure full ecosystem commitment, participation, and confidence

• Following tactics were proposed for the well planned City:
  - an extension of an Intelligent Traffic Management System plan
  - finding ways to extend management abilities and experiences in the area of Intelligent Social Security System
  - a development of a “city services architecture” to improve a decision making process

• To become the City of innovation Katowice has to:
  - appoint an Upper Silesian Technology Committee

“We had participated in a lot of meetings here and we saw that Katowice and the whole Agglomeration offer a great cultural heritage and inhabitants show a strong attachment to the region. It was a great experience for all of us. Also we are strongly convinced the plan of City’s modernization, which we prepared together, increases a chance to develop a smarter place where all citizens will take advantage of new services and conveniences of the City.” – Mickey Iqbal, IBM Distinguished Engineer, said during the conference.

“We appreciate the IBM’s Executive Service Corps programme and the efforts of the both teams. Thanks to them we gained a know-how knowledge in cities modernizations based on a Smarter Cities concept. We want to implement the recommendations both in Katowice and the Agglomeration. What is important, the solutions are designed to be developed in all 14 cities at one time as well as in Katowice at first.” – says Piotr Uszok, Mayor of Katowice and Chairman of the Board of the Metropolitan Association of Upper Silesia.

Read previous articles about the initiative of IBM in Katowice >>>