SESSION TOPIC: CIO Role: Enabling the Government of the Future

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND:

State/Provincial and local points of view are important when considering the topics of innovation and performance in government. A significant amount of leadership has come from the US state level of government. As delegates from GTEC 2009 will remember, one of our banner keynotes from the event was from Teri Takai, the CIO of California, a state with a similar population to Canada, and about the same size budget as the federal government.

Rick Webb is a former state CIO now with Accenture, and he brings a wealth of experience and relevance to GTEC 2010’s theme of high performance government. As a former CIO, Rick can speak to the notion that for the CIO and IT Teams to be engaged as business partners, they need to move beyond the traditional systems view to one that balances policy, and value-driven objectives.

We think the combination of Rick’s background and Accenture’s depth in high performance research will make this presentation and exceptional one on the 2010 program.

SESSION ABSTRACT:

The business of government is never going to be the same. But what does that mean for public sector CIOs? And where should they focus to ensure the government’s success – and their own.

Governments across the world are caught in a perfect storm — and are being pummelled by the economic crisis, major demographic and political shifts, technology innovations, and citizen demands for greater transparency, accountability, and efficiency. In the center of this storm stands the CIO. Now, more than ever before, CIOs have the opportunity to enable government performance by leveraging and managing technology. But this will require new thinking, a new approach, and a new definition of the role of CIO. Time is now- The successful CIO must evolve to become both a ”business partner” – an executive who is able to engage agencies and business units in their language and understand their needs – and a ”value creator” – an executive who finds innovative ways to improve citizen service, not just the owner of a cost center. This session will explore key performance levers CIO’s can do to weather the storm, including best in class case studies.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES:

Rick Webb, Chief Technology Officer, Canada, US State and Local Government

Rick Webb is a senior executive at Accenture where he serves as the Chief Technology Officer for Accenture’s US State and Local Government practice. Rick joined Accenture in August 2003 and brings a wealth of experience from both the public and private sectors. He has worked extensively with state officials throughout the United States to carry out government transformation by implementing better IT management and e-government practices.

Beginning in September 1997, Rick served as Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the State of North Carolina for three years. In that capacity, he oversaw the State’s Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), which is responsible for managing the tactical, operational arm of technology and setting the offices strategic direction.

Prior to serving as State CIO, Rick was appointed by Governor James B. Hunt as the Assistant Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Commerce and led all economic development and business recruitment for the state as well as the President of the North Carolina Economic Development Partnerships.

Rick has been a featured speaker throughout the United States on both economic development and enterprise management of IT infrastructure, e-Government and IT transformation. He has worked with several states including Massachusetts, California, Kentucky, Texas, Oregon, and Virginia in development of enterprise IT strategies and e-government initiatives. He is former Chairman of the Corporate Leadership Council for the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).

GTEC has confirmed Deputies from the Public Service Management Advisory Committee (PSMAC) to Keynote GTEC’s final conference day on the topic of High Performance Government (our 2010 theme).

The Deputies from PSMAC, and its predecessor, TBPAC, have been engaged in GTEC for three years. As a senior committee of deputies, TBPAC has oversight over technology in the federal government. The Deputies will participate in the keynote, but the wider committee has also been invited to participate in a luncheon at GTEC with Keynoter, Tom Ridge. The former Pennsylvania Governor and first head of Homeland Security after 9/11 will be keynoting GTEC on Tuesday, October 6 at the National Arts Centre.

The PSMAC Panel is scheduled as the morning Kickoff Keynote on Thursday, October 8 at the Westin Hotel. The Panelists are:

Chair: Michelle d’Auray, Secretary of the Treasury Board, Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

Panelists:
Carole Swan, President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Ian Shugart, Deputy Minister, Environment Canada
Neil Yeates, Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Immigration Canada

When the Deputies were engaged for the Keynote, Michele d’Auray (who incidentally was formerly the CIO of the GoC) asked me to define what we meant by High Performance Government and identify what the audience might be interested in hearing from the deputies. The following is what I provided to her. Regardless of if the deputies speak directly to these questions or not, I am sure the panel will be insightful and speak to what government could look like, in their view, in the future.

GTEC 2010 and the theme of “High Performing Governments”

Since it began 17 years ago, GTEC has always focused on serving Canadians better through information and technology. In the early years, creating high performing networks meant automating government processes and delivering more efficient services on-line.

Governments in Canada were early leaders in “e-government”: delivering services to Canadians on-line. Today, consumers are demanding open access to government services, data and processes because collaboration is becoming a common feature of their business lives and social networks. The relationship between citizens and their governments has changed.

While the world is becoming more open, governments are managing service delivery under the lens of public accountability and transparency. Are we at a crossroads, or can governments be open and collaborative while maintaining public accountability? If so, then what are the policy vehicles available to serve Canadians better within this new paradigm?

Looking forward, what are the key components of high performing public sector organizations? Most governments maintain their own performance management and accountability frameworks, but how will performance be measured by citizens who are increasingly connected and informed.

Hope you can make it! The Session is included with your conference pass.