City of Kitchener announces new Director, Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab

The City of Kitchener is pleased to announce that Nicole Amaral has accepted the role of Director for the city’s Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab, located at the Communitech Hub in Downtown Kitchener.

Nicole has over 20 years of municipal experience with the City of Kitchener, where she has consistently demonstrated her passion for innovation and public service. Throughout her career, Nicole has driven forward-thinking solutions and fostered a culture of creativity across various municipal initiatives. Her extensive experience aligns with the City’s strategic goals for the Digital Kitchener brand and the Innovation Lab, ensuring continued success in both areas.

“During her career at the City, Nicole has been at the forefront of significant digital transformation – from leading the implementation of the city’s first social media strategy to spearheading the transformation of the city’s website,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “Her vision to leverage technology to improve citizen services has led to exciting changes for the city. We look forward to her bringing that citizen-focused approach to new projects and initiatives at the Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab, ranging from enhanced online e-services for residents to the role AI can play in service delivery.”

The Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab was established in 2017, initially focusing on leveraging technology to transform municipal operations. Originally aimed at exploring how the Internet of Things (IoT) could contribute to Kitchener becoming a "smart city", the Lab focused on piloting and prototyping initiatives that would create efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve citizen services through data collection. In recent years, the Lab has also embraced emerging technologies and design thinking methodologies, experimenting with everything from augmented reality to gamification, to better engage citizens and enhance service delivery.

Under Nicole’s leadership, the Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab will expand its focus even further, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) as an enabler to improve city services, enhance citizen engagement, and drive efficiencies.

“Municipalities are increasingly grappling with the challenges and opportunities presented by AI,” said Councillor Scott Davey. “Using the Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab to explore how AI can improve public services, enhance citizen engagement, and use data to help gain actionable insights to drive decision making is a great step forward in empowering Kitchener to become a leader in this space."

Nicole’s appointment comes at an exciting time as the City of Kitchener continues to build momentum for the Digital Kitchener strategy. Her leadership will be pivotal in the refresh of the Digital Kitchener strategy, and increasing the profile of the Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab.

Nicole will officially begin in her new role on February 3, 2025.

For more information, contact: 

Bethany Rowland
Director, Corporate Communications & Marketing
bethany.rowland@kitchener.ca

Attachment: Nicole Amaral, profile photo