Hugh Cole

Hugh Cole is the Chief Data Officer and Strategy Director at the City of Cape Town government. He is also a Visiting Senior Fellow at the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics. As Chief Data Officer, Hugh is spearheading the implementation of Cape Town’s City Data Strategy and co-leading initiatives to guide the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence in city governance. Hugh has built up an economic analysis capability in the city, including the extensive use of cost-benefit analysis and economic modelling

Prior to his role in Cape Town, Hugh served as Director of Country Programmes at the International Growth Centre. There, he oversaw operations in 14 countries and co-founded the Cities that Work initiative. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with distinction from the London School of Economics, and a BSc (Honours) in Science and Economics from the University of Cape Town.