Hartford Business Journal

14 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 24, 2024 By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com W hen newly elected Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam took office on Jan. 1, one of the first things he wanted to focus on was to make city government more business friendly. Six months later, his efforts to make that a reality include hiring business people for key roles in his administration. Most recently, that included naming Infosys executive Jeff Auker as the city's new director of Develop- ment Services. Auker has led the tech giant's emerging technology and innovation hub in the city since 2018. He also has served since February 2019 as chairman of the not-for- profit ReadyCT, which promotes the connection between school and the workforce for students state- wide, and as a member of Gov. Ned Lamont's Workforce Council. Auker is just the latest example, and an expert in public policy and government administration says he sees pros and cons in a mayor adding business executives to his team. In addition to Auker, Arulampalam's other business-sector hires include: • Olusegun "Shay" Ajayi, an executive with Hartford HealthCare, who was named the city's chief operating officer, and • James Woulfe, an assistant vice presi- dent at the Travelers Institute, the public policy and education division for insur- ance giant Travelers Cos., who was named to succeed Yahaira Escribano as the mayor's chief of staff. Arulampalam also chose busi- ness leaders as three of his five appointees to the city Board of Education, including: • Ruth Fortune, a private client services attorney at law firm Wiggin and Dana LLP. • Jennifer Hockenhull, director of finance at the Adult Congenital Heart Association, who also previously served as the city's chief financial officer and director of management, budget and grants, and • Stephen Wilson, a project manager at technology company Cyient. "The goal of this administration has been to try to connect all the communities together to build a stronger and more vibrant Hart- ford," Arulampalam said, adding that doing that requires bringing "every idea to the table." He said his administration is a mix of backgrounds and ideas that includes members with "extensive experience in government" — such as Corporation Counsel Jonathan Harding, who served as associate general counsel for Lamont — as well as those with experience in the nonprofit sector and in business. Arulampalam said that a number of people on his staff "have really significant experience in the corporate sector, and many of them took significant pay cuts to work for the city because they believed in the vision." Different perspectives Auker agrees, saying he was attracted to the passion he sees in the mayor's administration. "Helping people working on something that would unlock the potential of the city and the passion of the people serving it, … that's the piece that excites me," he said. "It's going to be hard, but the challenges will make that effort worthwhile." Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said his administration can better serve the city through the 'mixing and melding of experiences and ideas.' HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Business Administration Hartford Mayor Arulampalam relying on corporate execs to fill key roles Olusegun "Shay" Ajayi Jeff Auker James Woulfe

• Cover