Nick Sims

Nick Sims joins SGR as President of SGR Digital, bringing more than 20 years of experience as an AI and digital transformation executive. Throughout his career, Nick has held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s most recognized enterprises, including Abbott Laboratories, Whirlpool Corporation, Best Buy, Target, and Scottrade. He has spent two decades partnering with senior business leaders to turn complex technology strategies into real operational outcomes – aligning organizations, modernizing operating models, and ensuring technology earns its seat at the table.

What sets Nick apart is his experience at the frontier of artificial intelligence. He has a proven record of moving AI beyond the pilot stage and into production – establishing governance frameworks, building agentic systems, and developing the practical infrastructure organizations need to sustain AI at scale. At Abbott Laboratories, he led a 30-use-case generative AI pipeline, advancing pilots across multiple business functions and delivering production implementations that created measurable impact. Most recently, Nick designed and launched Embers (embers.group), a production-grade AI-native SaaS platform – taking it solo from concept to a live, free and paid product. This “operator who builds” approach gives him a rare and practical perspective: he does not just advise on AI strategy, he builds it.

For local governments, Nick believes the shift to AI-native workflows is one of the most consequential opportunities of this generation – and one of the most underserved. The goal is not to layer new technology on top of old problems, but to redesign operating models so that government teams can work smarter, serve residents more effectively, and do more with the resources they have. That philosophy of technology as a servant to community outcomes is at the heart of everything he does.

As President of SGR Digital, Nick leads the development of SGR’s digital platform and technology services. He is focused on building the infrastructure, data capabilities, and AI-powered tools that allow local governments of every size to operate with greater efficiency and transparency – making innovative technology genuinely accessible across the country.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Nick holds an Executive MBA from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from Wayne State University. He is a member of ForbesBLK and the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF). Nick lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with his wife of more than 25 years and their three children.