Home » AccelerateGOV » AccelerateGOV Agenda 2023

We look forward to welcoming digital leaders from across the world, including from Germany, the USA, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Iceland, and the UK, to speak at AccelerateGOV here in Ottawa.  

I’m so excited to host such an influential group of experts in Ottawa. These digital leaders will be sharing insights at the AccelerateGOV conference, providing a wonderful opportunity for public servants to discover how public service leaders around the world are realizing the potential of digital – and addressing the challenges we face in common. I encourage all public servants to register for this fascinating conference.

Stephen Burt, Chief Data Officer, Government of Canada

Agenda

Bringing together public service leaders from around the world, AccelerateGOV explores how public servants in all relevant disciplines and roles can best promote digitalization and transformation

Agenda 2023

3 October

All times provided are local (Ottawa, EST)

 

 

 09:00 – 09:20

 

Welcome Address

Catherine Luelo
Chief Information Officer of Canada

09:20 – 09:50

Keynote Address

09:50 – 10:00

CHANGEOVER

10:00 – 10:50

Knowledge is power: deploying data

Speakers:

Nadia Ahmad
Director General, Evaluation, Data and Results, Global Affairs Canada

Alexandra Dykes
Director of Performance and Oversight, Information and Data Governance, Data and Digital Policy Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Canada

Gayan Peiris
Head of Data and Technology, Chief Digital Office, United Nations Development Programme

Alison Pritchard
Deputy National Statistician and Director General for Data Capability, Office for National Statistics, United Kingdom

Theme: Data technologies and management

Today’s information management technologies offer huge opportunities in government.  Data has enormous potential to improve the analysis of social, economic and environmental challenges…

Automation for the people: using rPA in public service

Speakers:

Kathleen Butler
Director General, Digital Services Directorate, Assessment, Benefit, and Service Branch, Canada Revenue Agency

Kyle Thomas
Global Industry Leader, Public Sector Regulatory Agencies, Appian

Theme: Artificial Intelligence and automation

While Artificial Intelligence algorithms evolve over time –making their operation unpredictable  and sometimes opaque– robotic process automation is a much more…

Train and explain: digital skills for everyone

Speakers:

Kevin Cunnington
Former Director General, Government Digital Service (GDS), United Kingdom, and Expert Advisor, Global Government Forum

Vigdís Jóhannsdóttir
Chief Marketing Officer for Digital Iceland, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Iceland

Theme: Skills for innovation

When in 2013 Kevin Cunnington became Director General of Business Transformation at the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions, he soon realised he’d make slow progress…

10:50 – 11:00

CHANGEOVER

11:00 – 11:50

Serving every citizen: adoption and accessibility in online services

Speakers:

Vigdís Jóhannsdóttir
Chief Marketing Officer for Digital Iceland, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Iceland

Peter Kimaile
Director, ICT, Ministry of Information Communication & The Digital Economy, Kenya

Mark Vermeer
Director Digital Government, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Netherlands

Theme: Public adoption of digital services

Digital technologies have the potential to improve service delivery for everyone. But if careful attention is not paid to inclusiveness…

Data and you: what Canada’s new Data Strategy means for public servants

Speakers:

Stephen Burt
Chief Data Officer of Canada

Tom Dufour
Director General, Strategic Data Management, Statistics Canada

Kara Beckles
Chief Data Officer, Privy Council Office, Canada

Robb Sinclair
VP Analytics, Converge Technology Solutions

Theme: Data technologies and management

Canada’s data strategy for the federal public service envisages a data-powered future, with implications for most public servants. It explains, for example…

Applying AI intelligently: use cases and risk management

Speakers:

CHANG Sau Sheong
Deputy Chief Executive, Government Technology Agency, Singapore

Benoit Deshaies
Director, Responsible Data and Artificial Intelligence, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Brian Epley
Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer, Department of Energy, United States of America

Ima Okonny
Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Data Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada

Trent Gray-Donald
Distinguished Engineer, IBM Data and AI

Theme: Artificial Intelligence and automation

Artificial Intelligence technologies have huge potential to assist public servants – guiding decision-making, supporting analysis and targeting…

11:50 – 12:00

CHANGEOVER

12:00 – 12:50

Transforming together: managing and commissioning digital projects

Speakers:

Marc Brouillard
Chief Digital Officer, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada

Sylvain Bélanger 
Executive Director and Chief Information Officer, Information Management and Technology Directorate, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Angel Martin 
Deputy Head, Planning and Governance of Digital Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Spain

Anthony Sheehan
Chief Digital Officer, Courts Administration Service Canada, Canada

Theme: Smarter procurement and project management  

Public servants working in fields such as finance, procurement and project management play as critical a role in transformation programmes as…

Safe investments: cyber-security as a catalyst of business transformation

Matt Davies
Chief Technology Officer, Shared Services Canada

Ann Dunkin
Chief Information Officer, Department of Energy, United States of America

Theme: Cyber-Security

Public servants often struggle to secure capital investment to improve staff tools, strengthen back office systems and bolster service delivery. Elected leaders and service managers are…

A helping hand: access for all

Speakers:

Angela Copeland
Chief Information Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care, Canada

Fernando de Pablo Martín
Director Digital Office, Madrid City, Spain

Dr Inshan Meahjohn
Chief Executive Officer, National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (iGovTT), Trinidad and Tobago

Luyanda Ndlovu
Chief Information Officer, Department of Communications and Digital Technology, South Africa

Theme: Public adoption of digital services

Many of those most dependent on the public sector face particular barriers to accessing digital services, with older, poorer and more remote communities often lacking the necessary skills confidence or tools…

12:50 – 13:00

CHANGEOVER

13:00 – 13:50

Adapt to serve: supporting public sector innovation

Speakers:

Thomas Beautyman
Deputy Director, Government Digital, Data and Technology Capability, Cabinet Office, United Kingdom

Franco Chirichella
President and Chief Executive Officer, Innovapost Inc., and Chief Digital Officer, Canada Post

Innocent Muhizi
Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Information Society Authority, Rwanda

Theme: Skills for innovation

In today’s turbulent, fast-changing world, organisations thrive when they draw on the expertise and enthusiasm of every staff member, empowering people to recreate policies…

Attracting an audience: the power of user-centred design

Speakers:

Christine Bellamy
Director, GOV.UK, Government Digital Services, United Kingdom

Ryan Hum
Chief Client Experience Officer and Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizen Service Branch, Employment and Social Development Canada

Aaron Jaffery
Director General, Service Experience Design and Delivery, Service Canada

Katja Väänänen
Head, Digitalization Unit, Public Sector ICT Department, Ministry of Finance, Finland

Mark Sullivan
Strategic Lead, Digital Identity, Canadian Bank Note Company

Theme: Public adoption of digital services

Digital services become popular and widely-adopted when they are easy to use, save citizens time, and improve the quality  of service… 

13:50 – 14:00

CHANGEOVER

14:00 – 14:50

Across and beyond government: working in partnership for the public

Speakers:

Dorothy Eng
Executive Director, Code for Canada

Isabelle Tanguay
Chief Information Officer and Director General, Information Management and Technology Directorate, Department of Finance Canada

Paul N. Wagner
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Theme: Open policymaking and shared service delivery

The era of stand-alone, ‘vertical’ public services, provided by organisations operating in glorious isolation, is coming to an end. To meet people’s…

Cyber-security: a task for every public servant

Speakers:

Nadine Boudreau-Brown
Director General, IT Transformation and Modernization Services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Simon Llewellyn
Director, Security Architecture, Canadian Cyber Security Centre

Theme: Cyber-Security

Governments are experiencing a rapid rise in cyber attacks, with one report finding a 95% increase during 2022. Many are designed to extract money – either via infesting public systems with…

Buying better: how to build a digital marketplace

Speakers:

Anna Wong
Director, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board Canada Secretariat, Canada

Theme: Smarter procurement and project management  

In 2010, the UK government spent £16bn (C$27bn) on technology, 80% of it with 20 big companies. In 2014, it launched its Digital Marketplace…

14:50 – 15:00

CHANGEOVER

15:00 – 15:50

Too clever by half? Deploying AI in the public sector

Speakers:

João Dias
President, Administrative Modernisation Agency, Portugal

Joel Martin
Chief Digital Research Officer, National Research Council Canada

Vidya Shankarnarayan
Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Information Officer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Eileen Vidrine
Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer, Department of the Air Force, United States of America

Theme: Artificial Intelligence and automation

Over recent years, public service leaders and technologists have been considering whether and how to deploy Artificial Intelligence in…

Planning for uncertainty: a new approach to project management

Speakers:

Scott McNaughton
Director, Digital Investment Office,  Government of British Columbia

Mehnaz Tabassum
IT Project Manager, Corporate Services Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Len Bastien
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Theme: Smarter procurement and project management  

Traditional public service business planning, spending approval and project management processes typically require planners to define at…

Staying close remotely: how to make hybrid working a success

Speakers:

Mackenzie Lambe
Chief Information Officer, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Darcy Pierlot
Chief Information Officer, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Theme: Staff tools

The pandemic prompted a wholesale shift to remote working, and the world of work will never be the same again. People now expect to split their time between office and…

15:50 – 16:00

CHANGEOVER

16:00 – 16:50

Equipping public servants to succeed

Speakers:

Meagan Collins
Chief, Enterprise Information Management, Corporate Services Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Canada
 
Karl Hoods
Group Chief Digital and Information Officer, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, United Kingdom
 
Erica Ren
Chief Data Officer, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Theme: Staff tools

“Public servants face ongoing challenges accessing the tools necessary to do their jobs,” says Canada’s data strategy for the federal public service. While governments have invested in public-facing services…

Incentivising alignment: forging a united leadership team

Speakers:

Liz McKeown
Executive Director, Digital Talent and Leadership Sector, Treasury Board Canada Secretariat, Canada

Honey Dacanay
Director General, Digital Policy, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Chris Thorn
Chief Digital Officer, Digital, Data & Technology Services, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), United Kingdom

Theme: Open policymaking and shared service delivery

Cross-government initiatives can fall flat when organisational leaders have diverging priorities, so some governments are introducing reforms to align their…

Radical retail: forging new relationships with private suppliers

Speakers:

Brandon Lee
Director General, Grants and Contributions Transformation Bureau, Global Affairs Canada

Theme: Smarter procurement and project management  

Recognising that traditional systems of procurement don’t always get the best out of the private sector, governments are exploring new ways to access…

16:50 – 19:00

Networking Reception

19:00

Conference Ends