Digital Summit

Stephen Burt

Chief Data Officer of Canada

In March 2022, Stephen Burt was appointed Chief Data Officer for the Government of Canada, at the Treasury Board Secretariat. His mandate is to provide leadership across government on information and data governance and integration, privacy modernization, and data-enabled digital services and programs. He is also responsible for providing enterprise level guidance on instruments and performance linked to the digital agenda, in the fields of service, security and access to information.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Burt was the functional authority for data governance and analytics capability for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF). He drove the analytics adoption and maturity throughout DND/CAF, and led the department-wide initiative to establish analytics and data governance.

Mr. Burt began his career in the Government of Canada in 1997 with Revenue Canada. In 1999, he joined DND, where he worked in a variety of policy, operational and defence intelligence roles, including two years as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister.

Mr. Burt moved to the Privy Council Office (PCO) in 2007 to work in the Security and Intelligence Secretariat as Senior Advisor on National Security. In that role, he was secretary for the committees of the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister. In 2009, he joined the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat (IAS) at PCO, and held positions as Director for Afghanistan and, later, for Asia. Mr. Burt was appointed Director of Operations for the IAS in January 2012, and took on the position of Assistant Secretary on an acting basis in March 2014.

In April 2015, Mr. Burt assumed the role of Assistant Chief of Defence Intelligence at Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, where he led the federated production of intelligence within DND/CAF, and oversaw defence intelligence policy.

Mr. Burt has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Master’s in Public Administration from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Biren Agnihotri

National Data & Analytics Leader and Digital & Emerging Technologies Leader, EY Canada

Biren is the National Digital Engineering and AI & Data Practices Leader at EY Canada. He leads a
team of professionals across the country, supporting the full range of digital, platform modernization, hyper automation, emerging technologies, data strategy, data engineering, and data science functions.

With over two decades of experience, he has helped organizations streamline their processes using data and emerging technologies, resulting in multi-million-dollar cost take-out and cost-avoidance programs. He and his team assist clients in various industries to modernize their work using technologies such as artificial intelligence, generative AI, IoT, 5G, quantum computing, drones, digital twins, and end-to-end digitization. They also support them in adopting new business models to increase revenue growth.

Biren’s passion lies in eliminating friction, adding value, and modernizing lives through disruptive technology. He is always seeking opportunities to help organizations innovate and thrive in this transformative age.

Nadia Ahmad

Director of Data, Knowledge and Evaluation, Global Affairs Canada

Nadia Ahmad is the Director General of Data, Knowledge and Evaluation at Global Affairs Canada. In this capacity she serves as both Chief Data Officer and Head of Evaluation. She is also the departmental Champion for Visible Minorities. Nadia is committed to building and nurturing diverse and inclusive teams and contributing data-derived insights to inform decision-making and foster more impactful policies, programs, and services.

Misha Anand

Chief Digital Officer and Director of Digital Transformation Digital, Data and Technology Services Department, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom

Misha Anand is the Chief Digital Officer at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Agriculture (defra) and is an energetic leader of organisational wide change programmes, specialising in Digital and Business Transformation and Programme & Portfolio Delivery. She has over 15 years’ experience in the design, delivery and assurance of major policies, projects and services across both the public and private sector. Her key achievements include successfully leading complex policies, programmes & services and undertaking assurance roles for programmes of up to c.£50bn and establishing an award winning project leadership development programme.

Christine Bellamy

CEO, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom

Government Digital Service (GDS) mission is to build a simple, joined-up and personalised experience of government for everyone. Using its unique position at the centre of government, they develop services that work for the user, however complex the underlying systems may be. GOV.UK is the best place for people to access government services and information. It’s one of the most visited websites in the UK, and is relied upon by millions of people each week for clear and accurate guidance on government policy and information, and access to vital services.

As Director of GOV.UK Chris sets the vision and strategy and leads the work to develop future products that will deliver a joined-up and personalised experience of government for everyone. She also works with teams across the UK government to transform digital services and content.

She joined GDS from the BBC where she held a number of roles over a ten year period (2012-2022) and most recently was Head of Product for BBC News and Sport, UK and Global. Prior to working at the BBC, Christine was a Managing Director at Johnston Media (2009-2012).

Pete Benton

Deputy National Statistician & Interim Director General – Data Capability, United Kingdom

Pete joined the Office for National Statistics in 2002 to design and deliver the 2011 Census, an operation with analytics at its heart. After 2011 Pete led the ‘Beyond 2011’ programme helping plan the future of the Census and laying the groundwork for the 2021 Census. Pete then moved on to become the Director of Population and Public Policy Operations, leading the 2021 Census operation, and the ONS’ business and social surveys.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Pete established the COVID-19 Infection Survey, providing important information, about infection in society, to key decision makers in government and beyond enabling policy decisions relating to the economy and society.

Pete became the Director General for Health, Population and Methods Group soon after. Here he was responsible for ensuring the ONS continued to produce high-quality analysis and statistics, that informed the public on matters of health, population, and migration.

Currently Pete is the interim Director General for Data Capability responsible for overseeing end-to-end data ingress, delivering digital and technology capabilities for the whole organisation and the Integrated Data Service which brings together ready-to-use data, from a variety of public and private sources, to enable faster and more collaborative analysis for the public good.

Pierre Bilodeau

Vice President, Standards Council of Canada

Dr. Bilodeau is Vice President, Standardization Services at the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Canada’s national standards body and leading accreditation organization. His tenure with the SCC commenced in 2021 within the Strategy & Stakeholder Engagement Branch. He has been instrumental in the strategic amalgamation of two operational branches, enhancing internal synergy and ensuring the SCC’s global initiatives are in concert with Canada’s strategic priorities. In his current capacity, he provides corporate leadership and management for identifying and addressing critical issues to position standardization as a value-added instrument for achieving Canada’s economic, trade and regulatory priorities. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to SCC, with over 20 years of experience in executive management, strategic planning, operational development and delivery of partnerships, programs, and research activities.

Katarzyna Bis-Płaza

Director, Department of Projects and Strategy, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Poland

Katarzyna Bis-Płaza, Director of the Department of Projects and Strategy at the Ministry of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland (since May 2023). She has been with the Ministry since 2012: she started her career at the Information Technology Department, was head of unit at the e-State Department, and then director of the State Information Architecture Department.

Currently, she is responsible, i.a., for creating state policy in the area of developing e-administration, as well as for the process of setting the strategic framework for the digital transformation of the state based on the principles of the state’s information architecture and supporting the absorption of EU funds for the development of a digital state.

A graduate of the University of Warsaw (Political Science) and the National School of Public Administration.

Alistair-Paul Borg

Director General, Strategy and Support, Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, Malta

Mr Alistair-Paul Borg joined the Public Service in 2001 in a middle management grade serving in various roles and positions within Malta’s public administration. A graduate in History at both Bachelor and Masters level he started his career in 2000 as an Executive Secretary within a Local Council following which he joined the public service and ably served firstly in a middle management and hence in a senior management role within the Office of the Prime Minister.

In 2007 he was promoted to Assistant Director at the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations thus having a leading role in the administration and operations of the national labour inspectorate. As from 2019 he started serving as Assistant Director within OPM’s Strategy & Implementation division where initiatives were specifically undertaken to oversee good governance practices in the various departments, authorities and entities forming part of the public administration. In 2021 he was appointed Director, Strategy & Support within the Permanent Secretary’s Office of the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts & Local Government and was finally appointed Director General also in the Permanent Secretary’s office of the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security & Employment where he leads and oversees various tasks, projects and initiatives of departments and entities that form part of this crucial Ministry with a view to ensure timely implementation of operations and good governance

Martin Bowyer

Deputy Director, Securing Government Services, Central Digital and Data Office, United Kingdom

Martin leads a team of talented and creative digital and security experts in the Cabinet Office at the heart of the UK Government. Part of the Central Digital & Data Office, he works with the National Cyber Security Centre, cyber experts, digital teams across the public sector and key suppliers to provide pragmatic solutions to digital and cyber challenges. A co-author of the UK Government’s Cyber Security and Digital & Data Strategies, Martin brings practical experience to transforming public sector technology and helps to deliver great digital services that are secure by design. Martin is also responsible for critical technical infrastructure used by the UK public sector.

Martin’s background is in Consulting. Before joining the UK Government, Martin delivered technology transformation programmes, technology consulting and assurance engagements and grew a successful public sector cyber business in a top tier consultancy.

Marc Brouillard

Chief Information Officer and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Digital Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Marc Brouillard became Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Digital Services Branch on January 8, 2024.

In this role, Marc provides strategic leadership in pursuing world-class excellence in digital transformation service delivery, data and information management, and cyber security.

Before his arrival at Public Services and Procurement Canada, Marc served as Chief Digital Officer for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He also held the following roles at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

• Chief Technology Officer and acting CIO of Canada
• deputy departmental CIO and acting departmental CIO

Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Marc was Vice-President of Business Development for a local ecommerce services start-up. He also spent 13 years at MONTAGE IT Services, a division of MTS/Allstream, where he held numerous positions in technology consulting and business development.

Marc holds a Computer Programming Diploma from Algonquin College as well as a CIO Leadership Professional Development Certificate from the CIO Institute of the University of Ottawa.

Dana Chisnell 

Executive Director for Customer Experience, Department for Homeland Security, United States of America

Dana Chisnell serves as the Executive Director for the Customer Experience Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In her role, she drives initiatives to reduce administrative burdens, simplify public-facing processes, and equip the DHS workforce with the tools necessary to improve customer interactions at all levels.

From October 2014 to 2016, Ms. Chisnell was part of the founding cohort of the United States Digital Service. Her focus was on bringing human-centered design to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as the agency revamped its software development and design practices. Ms. Chisnell also acted as part of a cross-functional team to design a more agile and design-forward procurement process for the entire Department.

In February 2021, Ms. Chisnell returned to federal service to improve processes to obtain Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, lead service design on parts of “Operation Allies Welcome” and explore process redesign for various parole programs.

Before returning to federal service at DHS, Ms. Chisnell co-founded Project Redesign at the National Conference on Citizenship with Ginny Hunt and current DHS Chief Information Officer Eric Hysen. While with Project Redesign, she created and led the Tech Executive Leadership Initiative (TELI) with the Aspen Tech Policy Hub and the Tech Talent Project to prepare senior leaders from the private sector to enter public service.

Ms. Chisnell also co-founded the Center for Civic Design (CCD). CCD was the first to map the experience of American voters. She worked on the Anywhere Ballot, the basis of the digital user interfaces on most commercially available voting systems today.

Ms. Chisnell is an expert in plain language, forms design, and user experience for older adults. Her work on design for older adults includes groundbreaking work at AARP that was the basis for several requirements in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Ms. Chisnell received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Linguistics from Michigan State University.

Angela Copeland

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

Angela Copeland is the Chief Information Officer/Assistant Deputy Minister for the Health Services I&IT Cluster. The portfolio includes over 230 technology solutions that support both the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-term Care. Key systems enable core services such as OHIP, emergency services, public health, inspections and analytics.

Prior to joining the OPS in 2022, Angela held progressively senior executive positions in the healthcare and social services sectors. She has overseen the development and implementation of numerous initiatives, including new hospital builds, data and analytics programmes, and technological solutions that have enabled business modernization.

She is known as a business partner with the ability to reimagine the possible, take initiative and test limits to achieve better business outcomes.

She is passionate about creating an inclusive environment with equal access to data and technology.

Kevin Cunnington

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

Kevin was Director General of the International Government Service and Digital Envoy for the UK from August 2019, until April 2021. Prior to that, he was the Director General of the Government Digital Service from August 2016 to July 2019. Kevin left the UK Civil Service in April 2021.

Kevin has led a variety of large scale, and global, digital transformation programmes. He spent his early career in programming and IT consultancy. More recently he was the Global Head of Online for Vodafone Group and Business Transformation Group Director General at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Kevin now advises Global Government Forum, and leads the Global Government Digital Leaders’ Study. 

Joyce Dimech

Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, Malta

Joyce Dimech is a prominent Maltese civil servant with a long and distinguished career in public administration. She has served in various high-profile roles within the Maltese government, demonstrating strong leadership and a commitment to public service. Her career is marked by her contributions to the development and implementation of policies aimed at improving governance and public sector efficiency in Malta.

Her expertise spans across various areas of public administration, and she is known for her strategic approach to management and her ability to navigate complex bureaucratic environments. Throughout her career, Joyce Dimech has played a key role in shaping Malta’s administrative landscape, earning respect and recognition for her dedication to public service and her contributions to the betterment of Maltese society.

Joyce Dimech was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2013 and has held this role in various portfolios. At present she is Permanent Secretary for the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment

Wolfgang Ebner

Acting Director General, Digitalisation and E-Government, Federal Chancellery, Austria

Wolfgang Ebner, acting Director general for Digital and EGovernment; 2022-2023: Chief of staff to the Secretary of Sate for Digital and Telecommunications; From 2020-2022 he was CDO of the  Austrian Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs; Deputy Director of the Directorate „Digitalization and E-Government“ of the Austrian Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs; President of the Austrian Center for information security. From 2012 -2018 he was Deputy Director of the Directorate „ICT and E-Government“ of the Ministry of Finance.  Before 2012 Wolfgang Ebner had different functions within the Austrian Ministery of the Interior. He was Adviser to the Minster of Interior for technical matters as well as international issues, security research, Cyber Security Coordinator and Chief of staff to the Director for public security. Wolfgang Ebner studied the law and additional studies and qualifications on information security.

Brian Epley

Chief Information Officer, Department of Commerce, United States of America

Brian Epley serves as the Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce. He is responsible for leading business transformation and IT strategy for new digital capabilities, streamlining current operations and improving overall efficiencies and performance of Commerce’s IT ecosystem — all with the goal of enabling the Commerce mission to achieve excellence and innovation with our partners and stakeholders. Brian is a seasoned leader with more than 25 years’ experience across public and private sectors. Throughout his career he has distinguished himself as an entrepreneur and innovative change leader with the unique ability to deliver strategic value-add outcomes.

Brian previously served as the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer with the U.S. Department of Energy (2022-24), where he led the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and formation of the OCIO’s strategic direction for the protection and modernization of IT, cybersecurity, data usage, and digitization to serve the Department’s mission.

Brian previously served in key executive leadership positions with the Environmental Protection Agency (2016-22) including Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator, Deputy CIO, and Chief Technology Officer for the Office of Environmental Information. Brian led many strategic initiatives transforming Enterprise IT Shared Services improving the value of IT. Prior federal and state government roles include:

• Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 Technical Director for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Information and Technology, and
• IT Services Director serving the Commonwealth of Virginia Office of the Governor [for 3 terms], and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.

Brian also held various leadership roles in the private sector at the Computer Sciences Corporation, Northrop Grumman, North Highland Worldwide Consulting, and as the founding President of InterSolve-IT; focused on enterprise transformation, research and development, IT, and enterprise operations. Brian’s private sector experience spans the Consulting, Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, and Transportation industries.

Brian serves on the American Council for Technology Executive Committee and previously served on the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business Society Board of Directors and Virginia State University IT Advisory Council Board of Directors. Brian received the Department of Veterans Affairs honor award for, “Getting to Green” on the President’s Management Agenda of Human Capital and the “Top 40 Under 40 Award” for service in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Brian holds a Master of Business Administration degree in International Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, from the Virginia Commonwealth University. Brian was also selected and worked as a Ph.D. candidate for Information Security Assurance at George Mason University’s Volgenau School of Engineering and Computing.

Mircea Esanu

Director, Public Services Agency, Moldova

Mr. Mircea Eșanu has over fifteen years of experience in mid-senior and senior managerial roles across the public sector, international organizations, and civil society. For the last three years, he serves as the Director of the Public Service Agency (PSA) of the Republic of Moldova, the largest public service provider in the country, employing 2,700 staff and operating 44 one-stop-shop offices nationwide. PSA is the holder of critical state registers and information systems, including those of population, legal entities, vehicles, drivers, and civil status documents. PSA is also responsible for issuing IDs, passports, residence permits, handles chitizenship, driving licenses, and vehicle registrations, as well as registration chamber of commercial and non-commercial entities, including political parties.

Previously, Mr. Eșanu notable held positions were Chief of Cabinet to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova and Executive Director of the Moldova Social Investment Fund. His experience extends to working with international organizations, like KfW, World Bank, Konrad Adenauer Foundation and UNDP. Additionally, he has served as Chairman of the Board of the Open Society Foundation Moldova and as a member of the Press Council Moldova.

Mr. Eșanu holds a BA and MA in Sociology.

Miquel Estapé

Chief Executive Officer, Open Government of Catalonia (Spain) and VP at ACGP

Miquel Estapé is a senior government executive with over 25 years of experience in driving digital transformation and innovation in the public sector. Currently, he serves as the Chief Innovation Officer at the Open Government of Catalonia (AOC) and is also the vice president of the ACGP, a think tank that promotes significant government reforms. Miquel has previously held the positions of Mayor of La Roca del Valles and Vice President of the Valles Oriental County Council.

He is also actively involved in academia, lecturing at various universities and speaking at local and international public sector events. His areas of expertise include digital transformation, innovation, citizen-centric strategies, data-driven organizations, AI for social good, digital identity, and open government.

Luz Felix

Director of Information and Communication Technologies of the Superintendence of Health and Occupational Risks, Dominican Republic

Luz del Carmen Felix is the current Director of Information and Communication Technologies at the Superintendence of Health and Occupational Risks of the Dominican Republic, a role she assumed as of September 2. With over 15 years of experience in the technology field, Luz specializes in digital transformation, cybersecurity, and project management and direction in the public sector and international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme.

In 2022, while working at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, and in 2023, at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Luz led her team to first place in the ICT Usage and Electronic Government Implementation Index in the Dominican Republic (iTICge). She was appointed Director of Information and Communication Technologies at the Ministry of Economy in 2020. In this role, she coordinated the development of high-impact software solutions aimed at automating and improving institutional processes, including the National Resource Planning System, the International Cooperation System in the Dominican Republic, and the System to Monitor the Performance of Presidential Initiatives.

Due to her exemplary work, Luz was appointed to the same position at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in the summer of 2022, where she spearheaded a technological overhaul, implementing digital services such as online authorizations for construction and material extraction. She also oversaw the creation of a climate change initiative tracking portal and a geographic information system (GIS) with data generated by the institution.

Luz is currently pursuing a Master’s in High Public Management from PUCMM in collaboration with the INSP, formerly the National School of Administration (ENA) in France. She also holds a Master’s in Senior Management from INTEC, a Master’s in Auditing and Computer Security from UASD, and a Master’s in Information and Communication Technology for Teaching from UASD. Additionally, she has completed specializations in Digital Transformation and Innovation from BARNA and an Executive Program in Big Data from EOI.

Her extensive certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP), ITIL, Scrum Master, and various other credentials. She is a Champion of the ICT Community of the PMI Dominican Republic Chapter and is passionate about using technology to foster sustainable development and enhance public services.

Jonathan Finch 

Director, Digital Experience, Office of Management and Budget, United States of America

Jonathan Finch currently serves as the Acting Director of Digital Experience within the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He helped draft and now leads the government-wide implementation of OMB’s flagship policy on delivering a digital-first public experience. Jonathan also serves as an implementation lead for the customer experience priority area of the President’s Management Agenda. Throughout his career which has spanned both the private and public sectors, Jonathan has helped organizations of all sizes rethink how they engage with and serve their customers. Prior to joining the government, Jonathan worked at Deloitte Consulting, where he served as an advisor to C-suite executives on a range of topics.  Jonathan holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University and began his career in public service as a White House intern while at Georgetown.

Luc Gagnon

Chief Technology Officer of Canada

Luc Gagnon was appointed as the Chief Technology Officer for the Government of Canada at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) in July 2024.

With over 30 years of comprehensive experience in large technology corporations and start-ups, both domestically and internationally, Luc has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in leading-edge technologies, emerging trends and innovation. He also brings with him a deep understanding of the strategic demands and operational intricacies of the role, having held previous CTO positions in government and in the private sector.

Luc joined TBS from Health Canada, where he had been serving as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Transformation Officer since January 2022. He has also held previous positions as Senior Vice-President and CTO at the Public Health Agency of Canada overseeing the COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-Out technical team and as the CTO at Shared Services Canada (SSC). Luc has extensive experience in cyber security, having held related positions with the Communications Security Establishment Canada.

A proud member of l’Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Luc’s academic achievements include a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Laval. His commitment to innovation and excellence continues to shape the technological landscape of Canada.

Laura Gilbert

Chief Analyst, Director of Data Science, 10 Downing Street, United Kingdom

Dr. Laura Gilbert is the director of 10DS, the data science and analytics team in Downing Street, director of the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (i.AI), joint Chief Analyst for the Cabinet Office and SRO for the AI for Public Good program. Her teams provide fast-paced modelling and analysis to support policy making and delivery, deliver expert data and AI solutions into public services, and run a radical transformation agenda promoting the better use of evidence, data and technology in government decision making.  She also created and spearheads a broader program of innovation, digitisation and radical upskilling in central government called Evidence House. She holds a doctorate in Particle Physics and is a Visiting Professor at LSE, and holds fellowships of the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Analytics.

Laura has a doctorate in Particle Physics and GRID computing from the university of Oxford, and undergraduate degrees in natural sciences from Cambridge. She held lectureships and a post-doctoral research position at Oxford and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics. Laura spent three years as a quantitative analyst in the financial sector, working in modelling, analysis and artificial intelligence before joining a new medical technologies company as the second director. She spent the next decade working as a hands-on CTO bringing the company from start up to SME to acquisition, and has significant experience in software development, wearable technology, systems architecture, data integration and system/data security. She is fluent in seven programming languages, and is named on four patents, including lead inventor on two data security patents.

Cliff Groen

Associate Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada and Chief Operating Officer of Service Canada

In January 2024, Cliff Groen was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada and Chief Operating Officer for Service Canada.

Prior to his current role, Cliff was Associate Deputy Minister and Business Lead for the Benefits Delivery Modernization (BDM) programme, the largest IT-enabled business transformation project in the history of the Government of Canada. BDM is modernizing the delivery of Canada’s core social benefits programs, namely the Old Age Security (OAS), the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and the Employment Insurance (EI) programs.

Previously, Cliff was Senior Assistant Deputy Minister at Service Canada and was responsible for overseeing the delivery of EI, CPP and OAS, which total over $160B in annual program benefit payments. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cliff was responsible for the implementation of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), as well as the call centre to support the Public Health Agency of Canada’s enforcement of the Quarantine Act.

Cliff began his career in the Canadian federal public service with the Canada Revenue Agency, and also worked at Industry Canada, prior to joining Service Canada in 2005.

Cliff has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from the University of Ottawa. He is married and has two adult children. In his spare time, Cliff enjoys participating in various sports, in particular golf, running, and squash, as well as pursuing his passion for craft beer.

Janice Horne

Federal Account Leader, Government and Public Sector, EY Canada

As the Federal Account Leader, Janice Horne leads the Markets, Government & Public Service Sector. Janice brings 30 years of experience and is recognized as an accomplished, growth-minded, and collaborative leader who bridges and creates value by effectively engaging diverse stakeholder groups, aligning leaders, fostering, designing, and implementing strategic and innovative strategies and solutions.

Prior to EY, Janice worked with the Boston Consulting Group where she was a Managing Director and Partner, as well as the Public Sector Leader for Canada, Client Officer for the Federal Government Account, and a member of the Global Public Sector Executive Leadership team.

Janice has also served as an Assistant Deputy Minister within the Treasury Board and as a Senior Partner with Deloitte and KPMG. She has been recognized as a highly effective builder and leader of high-performing diverse, inclusive, and healthy organizations.

Shaifa Kanji

Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Officer, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Shaifa joined the Federal Government in August 2021 as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Officer at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Previously, she has led digital transformation in Public Sector and Not-for-Profit including establishing vision and strategic technology direction within a highly complex, political and multi-stakeholder environment.

Before joining the public sector, Shaifa spent her career across multiple industries including Telecommunications, Banking and Consulting. Those invaluable experiences have given her a broad perspective on the critical elements required to drive transformation including focusing on transparency, empathy, building relationships and continuous learning.

Shaifa holds an Executive MBA and a degree in Computer Science

Konstantinos Kapsouropoulos

Digital and Research Counsellor, EU (Delegation to Canada)

Konstantinos Kapsouropoulos is the Digital and Research Counsellor at the EU Delegation to Canada since 1st July 2024.

He previously served as International Relations Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology (DG CONNECT). He was in charge of the Digital Partnerships of the European Union with Japan and the Republic of Korea since 2021. He was also the European Union Delegate at the OECD Digital Economic Policy Committee.

His areas of expertise are geopolitics of technology, digital diplomacy and EU public affairs and digital identities.

Konstantinos Kapsouropoulos holds a Masters’ Degree in Geopolitics and International Relations from the Sorbonne Paris North University and a Law Degree from the University of Athens, Greece.

Paule Labbé

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategy and Engagement Branch, Shared Services Canada

Paule Labbé joined Shared Services Canada as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Strategy and Engagement Branch.

Previously she was the Assistant Deputy Minister of Executive and Leadership Development at the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Government of Canada. In this role, she was responsible for the policy framework governing executive classification, organization and compensation as well as government-wide leadership for the performance and talent management of the 5,400 + executives in the core public administration.

Paule has enjoyed a varied career in the public service, ranging from tax policy and administration at the Department of Finance and the Canada Revenue Agency, to strategic and operational planning, reporting and results at Health Canada.

As an Executive Director at the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), she transformed the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) from a qualitative, ratings-based process to a rigorous, data and information driven assessment of Government of Canada management. She led the Policy Suite Reset initiative that has led to the streamlining of administrative policies governing key corporate functions (e.g. financial, IM/IT, HR, etc.) across the federal government. In that role, Paule also provided technical assistance on public management to the governments of Kazakhstan and South Africa.

Paule has a Bachelor of Economics (McGill University) and a Master of Business Administration (University of Ottawa).

Elise Legendre

Chief Data Officer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Élise was appointed Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Chief Data Officer in the summer of 2021.  She leads a small, passionate team of policy and IT professionals dedicated to harnessing and unleashing the power of data to improve service delivery and to support the sector’s sustainable growth.

In 2003, after having worked in strategic marketing in the private sector for nearly 12 years, her career with the federal public service began as a Commerce Officer with AAFC.  She has since held positions in several branches, including Strategic Policy, Corporate Management and Programs.  She is passionate about the role of government and the impact it can have to improve the quality of life for Canadians.

Élise holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, BC) and a bachelor’s degree in Arts, major in Political Sciences from Laval University (Sainte Foy, QC).

Rina Lorello

Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Chief Information Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada

Rina has over 20 years of experience in the Information Management (IM) / Information Technology (IT) field. In her current role at ESDC, she leads technology teams of over 3,000 staff, who are delivering digital solutions that provide social benefits to Canadians, including Passport digital services. She leads the enterprise Technical Debt Remediation Program (encompassing pensions stabilization, network modernization, and disaster recovery solutions), and the technology aspects for Future of Work as the department embraces a hybrid workplace.

In her previous role as ADM and CIO at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Rina led an operational and strategic sector of more than 1,000 staff, who specialize in and oversee the department’s transformation journey. This included the IM/IT portfolio, overarching digital and cyber security strategy, and development and management of digital transformation projects.  

Her expertise in the IM/IT field and experience in the public sector have enabled sound stewardship within two departments that are at the forefront of the Government of Canada’s digital transformation via work on cloud enablement, digital workspace solutions, vendor relationship management, IT security operations, and application development.   

Throughout Rina’s career she has worked as an IT executive leading IT enabled projects and programs, managing data centres, establishing partnerships, and providing client facing digital solutions, which have allowed her to understand the importance of championing innovation. Ultimately, her work has shaped her views on maintaining a positive culture and remaining connected to what you are passionate about. 

Enick Shamsul Izhan Abdul Majid

Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commissions (MCMC), Malaysia

With over two decades of international experience in digital transformation and innovation, Sam was the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer (CTIO) at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) where he lead the Commission’s technology and innovation vision and execution for multi-industry development. He is recognised for his track record in driving innovative advancements across diverse landscapes of transportation, logistics, telecommunications and public sector.

Sam has bootstrapped start-ups, driven corporate and public sector innovation having earned national and regional awards from GovInsider (SG), IDC (USA), APICTA (Malaysia) and iAwards (Australia). He is a regular public and keynote speaker, advisory member for various Industry Panels and a Research Masters holder in Geospatial. Sam is passionate about creating value and impact through technology and innovation for the advancement of society and the environment.

Chikako Masuda

Head of Intelligence Research, Digital Agency, Japan

Since 2021, she has played a pivotal role at the Digital Agency, where she is responsible for overseeing the planning and management of the Service Design Community, while also leading intelligence research across the entire organization. In 2024, she co-authored an academic paper in collaboration with the Oxford Internet Institute, evolution and current state of digital policy in Japan (2024).

Before joining the Digital Agency, she was a Principal Researcher at the Institute of Administrative Information Systems which is attached to ministry of Interior, where she led a three-year study on digital strategies across various countries before and after the pandemic, publishing her findings in a report that concluded in 2023. In 2021, she contributed to a comparative analysis of design systems in foreign governments (2021) and wrote a handbook on promoting design management in the private sector (2020).

Her expertise encompasses linguistics, public policy, and service design.

Yuriy Matsyk

General Director of the Broadband Internet Access Infrastructure Development Directorate, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ukraine

The Ministry, established in 2019, aims to implement the “State in a Smartphone” vision. Yuriy joined the Ministry from its beginning as a director of digital infrastructure directorate. His responsibilities within the Ministry include improving Internet access for population, business, government facilities, and Internet resilience.

He has been State Policymaker of broadband in Ukraine before the war, during the war, and now.  

He really works in wartime and strives for wins on the telecommunication battlefield.

Alexandra Mause

Head of Department New Work, Change Management, Project Management Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, Germany

Alexandra Mause is a government officer at the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV). Since August 2022, she is leading a team with responsibilities for topics related to New Work, Change Management and Project Management.

Before, she took on various other positions as head of unit within the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport. In doing so, she developed deeper managerial skills and gained profound insights into a multitude of topics related to the ministry’s portfolio, such as technology and network promotion or urban mobility issues. Alexandra’s career began in the administration of the Federal State of Hessen. Prior to joining the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport, she held a senior position within the Federal Railway Authority (EBA).

Alexandra received her diploma in Geology and Paleontology from the Clausthal University of Technology (Germany). Furthermore, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Germany’s State Distance-Learning University in Hagen.

Steven Maynard

Consulting Leader, Government and Public Sector, EY Canada

Steven is a senior partner at EY and has led large scale business transformation programs within public companies and governments across North America, South America, Europe and the Middle East over his 24-year career.

He lead’s EY’s Government & Public Sector Consulting practice in Canada which covers federal, provincial and municipal levels of government as well as Healthcare and Education.

Steven is active in the community and has held executive and board level positions within Government, charitable and not for profit organizations across Canada.

Liz McKeown

Executive Director, Digital Community Management, Treasury Board Secretariat, Canada

Liz (Elizabeth) McKeown has been involved in all things Digital for more than 30 years, focusing on building technical, change, and leadership acumen at all levels thus enabling organizational wide digital modernization.  Liz joined the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in August 2022 with a mandate to evolve the Digital Community Management organization to meet the complex and growing attraction, development and retention needs of the federal public service digital community.

Liz draws from her professional and personal experiences as an executive, as a teacher, as a Chief Information Officer, as a mother and as a volunteer, and applies them to her work with a specialized focused on development of cross Public Service Digital Community and Culture.

Inshan Meahjohn

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

Dr Inshan Meahjohn is currently the CEO of iGovTT and has over twenty-three years of international experience in multiple industries including insurance, information technology, higher education, finance, entrepreneurship and banking. In addition to his professional experience, Inshan holds a Bachelor of Administration (Hons) from the University of Glamorgan in the United Kingdom, a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business and is currently a PhD Candidate.

Innocent Bagamba Muhizi

Chief Executive Officer, Rwanda Information Society Authority, Rwanda

Innocent B. MUHIZI is the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) since 2017. RISA’s main mission is to Champion Rwanda’s Digital Transformation. As a senior Technology and Business Executive with over 20 years of industry experience both in the Public and Private sector, Mr. MUHIZI has a proven track record for building, leading, managing and delivering world-class technology and business solutions to help organization grow both market share and revenue. His experience in Telecom Industry, Financial services, Payments, Public sector, has given him practical skills and capabilities to driving business results and maximizing profitability through the delivery of exceptional service. He has demonstrated prudent management of people, technology and processes; a proven ability to manage complex projects, align technology and corporate strategy, and set and achieve business objectives; and leadership of teams to achieve projected goals.

Gayan Peiris

Head, Data and Technology, United Nations Development Programme

Gayan Peiris is the Head of Data and Technology at the Chief Digital Office, UNDP. As a digital strategist and advisor, he’s dedicated to revitalizing UNDP’s organizational culture with cutting-edge skills and a forward-thinking culture for stronger results and greater SDG impact. Gayan’s current work entails being at the forefront of driving UNDP’s global digital transformation and data strategy. His leadership spans critical areas such as Governance, People, Culture, Technology, Societal Impacts of AI, and Partnerships, where he champions UNDP’s internal digital advancement and plays a pivotal role in executing its comprehensive data strategy.

Gayan also has a track record of incorporating people’s voices into policy-making. He has led data collection and analysis efforts for global initiatives like UN75 and MYWorld, collecting over 10 million voices globally through public and private sector partnerships.

Chief Data Officer, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Erica Ren currently serves as the Chief Data Officer (CDO) at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), where she is responsible for guiding data transformation initiatives to enhance decision-making processes through data analysis, research, data literacy, and effective data governance practices. Before assuming her current role, Erica held leadership positions in various departments in the Government of Canada, including Director General of Modernization at Canadian Heritage and Senior Director at Correctional Services Canada.

With nearly two decades of experience in the Federal Public Service, Erica Ren has cultivated expertise in data analytics, digital service delivery, and business transformation. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Ottawa.

Mark Schaan

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet – Artificial Intelligence, Privy Council Office, Canada

Mark Schaan was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet – Artificial Intelligence in July of 2024. In this role, he supports the overall AI agenda, seeking to position Canada for leadership in its responsible development and use.

Prior to this, Mark served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategy and Innovation Policy at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). In this role he led on the overall micro-economic and innovation agenda, including supporting the development of the department’s horizontal policy and strategic priorities, including in international affairs, telecommunications, economic security, and all aspects of marketplace frameworks.

Mark’s career has been highlighted by this cross-cutting policy and framework effort, including leading major consultations and reforms, including for telecommunications, investment review, intellectual property, bankruptcy and insolvency, privacy and AI. Mark’s public service career has included roles across the policy spectrum, as well as leading on revitalizing the public service through innovative recruitment models.

Mark earned his BA (Honours) from the University of Waterloo in Political Science with an Honours Option in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2002, where he studied as a Loran Scholar. Mark earned his MPhil in Comparative Social Policy, conferred in 2004, and his DPhil in Social Policy, conferred in 2010 from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Mark is also actively involved in his community: chairing the board of the Ottawa Art Gallery, continued involvement with the Loran Scholars Foundation, and previous leadership at the Ten Oaks Project for 2SLGBTQ+ youth and families.

Cordell Schachter

Chief Information Officer, Department of Transportation, United States of America

Cordell Schachter began as Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) on August 30, 2021. He serves as the principal advisor to Secretary Buttigieg for Information Technology (IT), cybersecurity, privacy, and records management.

Schachter’s priorities for the CIO organization – Cybersecurity, Workforce Development, and IT System Modernization –support the improvement of US DOT’s performance, building on $3.5 billion in existing annual IT spending.

The CIO organization under Schachter supports President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve the nation’s critical infrastructure with new and improved management systems and public information that illustrate the Law’s impact. Schachter established a new division to improve transportation sector cybersecurity by making systems “secure by design,” and by building more resilient critical infrastructure.

Schachter served as New York City Department of Transportation’s Chief Technology Officer and CIO for over 13 years and accumulated 26 years in NYC government service.

Paul Selby

Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity, Department of Energy, United States of America

Paul Selby currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy CIO for the United States Department of Energy. In this role, Paul leads cybersecurity operations, strategy, policy, authorization, and assessment efforts supporting agency-wide cyber and information security programs. Paul oversees the cybersecurity programs of the DOE enterprise, comprising a diverse set of missions – from open science research to Power Marketing Administrations. Previously, Paul served ​​​​​​​as the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer for the IRS. In this role Paul was responsible for leading strategic priorities to maximize protection of IRS assets, mitigate risks or operational disruptions and ensure resilience of critical IRS functions and business processes, while maintaining continuous service to both internal and external IRS customers. Paul led an organization of professionals who manage IRS Security Policy, Audit Management, Security Assessments, Cloud Strategy, Incident Response, Configuration Management, Security Services, and Risk Management.

Paul also served as acting Deputy Chief, Facilities Management and Security Services. In this role, Paul led an organization of professionals who delivered a diverse set of facilities and security services to all IRS employees. These services included: physical security and emergency preparedness, logistics, real estate and project management, and environmental and safety services.

Paul has over 25 years of IT experience providing complex networking solutions for U.S. DoD and Civilian agencies. Paul is an officer in the United States Navy Reserves and holds a Master’s in Information Systems (Cybersecurity and Information Assurance) from Penn State University and an MBA from Wake Forest University.

David Shive

Chief Information Officer, Government Services Administration, United States of America

David Shive is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. General Services Administration where he delivers technology solutions to support agency and administration strategic objectives and priorities.

As the CIO, he oversees a $700 million IT budget for over 50,000 devices, 400 locations, and 15,000 people. David has obtained a 4.17 out of 5 satisfaction score across GSA’s IT apps and tools and increased the IT Service Desk scores to 90% satisfaction.

David also serves as the Vice-Chair for the Federal CIO Council where he defines government-wide strategies for digital transformation, cybersecurity, and customer experience.

Additionally, David is one of 7 voting board members on the The Technology Modernization Board. The board is helping transform technology across the government and evaluates project proposals submitted for funding in accordance with the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act. David brings his technical expertise in information technology development to the board.

David is also one of three Joint Authorization Board (JAB) Members for FedRAMP along with DOD and DHS. The JAB serves as the primary governance board and provides provisional joint authorizations of FedRAMP packages submitted by Cloud Service Providers. He provides a critical voice for civilian agencies during the authorization process.

Before joining GSA, David served as the CIO for the District of Columbia government. He also worked in the private sector, consulting state and local, federal, and international government organizations on implementing large, customer-centric technology solutions. He is the recipient of numerous sector awards recognizing leadership in technology management and transformation.

He holds an undergraduate degree in physics from California State University, Fresno; a master’s degree in research meteorology from the University of Maryland College Park; and a post-graduate management certificate from the Carnegie Mellon Graduate School of Industrial Management.

Anika Shuttleworth

Acting Chief Executive Officer, eGov Jamaica

Mrs. Anika C. D. Shuttleworth is the Chief Executive Officer (Acting) of eGov Jamaica Limited.

She is an experienced Information and Communications Technology (ICT) executive with over twenty four (24) years of experience within the industry. Her background includes

Strategic Management, Business and Product Development, Project Management, Business Analysis, Software Development and Quality Management. She wholeheartedly believes in nation building, delivering efficient and effective service to customers, as well as empowering young people to achieve their fullest potential.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Executive Officer (Acting), she was Senior Director of the Business Solutions Services (BSS) Division. Before that, Mrs. Shuttleworth served in other roles to include Department Head for Research and Innovation and Department Head for the Business & Product Development and Strategic Planning.

Mrs. Shuttleworth, is a Professionally Accredited Director, and is Scrum Product Owner Certified. She holds the degrees of Master of Science in Computer Based Management Information Systems, and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, both from the University of the West Indies (Mona). In addition, she is a Fellow of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in eGovernment for CARICOM Countries, and also holds certifications in Project Management, Lean Six Sigma, Strategic and Corporate Planning, and Budget Preparation and Management.

An ordained Pastor, Mrs. Shuttleworth considers her greatest accomplishments to date to be those of wife and mother.

Karl Andreas Sprenk

Director Digital Skills Coordination, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Estonia

Karl Andreas Sprenk joined the Estonia’s Government CIO Office in late 2021 to lead a newly launched Digital Academy – an e-learning platform for civil servants. Since May 2022 Karl has been responsible for coordinating the digital skills team, to ensure that in a long run all civil servants across the government sector would have necessary digital skills and competencies to allow bold and needed digital changes and the development and maintenance of e-services. To achieve this, the team aims to provide training and networking activities for government ICT professionals, raise awareness and provide reskilling opportunities for non-digital professionals, as well attract new talents through centrally coordinated ICT-upskilling programmes and traineeship initiatives.

Eng Pheng Tan

Assistant Chief Executive, Economic and National Development Clusters, GovTech, Singapore

Eng Pheng served as Asst Chief Exec, Services Group at the Government Technology Agency between 2016 and 2023, and oversaw a workforce of more than 1,700 ICT professional that constituted the CIO teams at 54 Singapore public sector agencies. Following a restructuring in Jan 2024, Eng Pheng now focus on the Economic and National Development Clusters. His portfolio includes digital transformation of public organisations, technology planning and implementation, as well as work force capability development. His team has coordinated three cycles of Ministry Family Digitalisation Planning (MFDP) in the last 7 years, which guided Singapore government agencies’ contribution to the successful completion of the 1^st Digital Government Blueprint in end 2023.  

Prior to his Services Group leadership role, Eng Pheng led a number of Sectoral Transformation initiatives spanning sectors such as trade and logistics, finance, tourism, education and healthcare. In those roles, he sought to develop public-private partnership, with the objective of using tech to enable various sectors of the economy. He had also led eGovernment planning at the whole-of-government level, and led a Singapore government team to provide G-G level consultancy for another country’s national eGov planning.

Eng Pheng has more than 35 years of tech industry experience. He was conferred Singapore’s Public Administration Medal (Silver)(Bar) in 2022. He holds a MSc (Management of Technology) from the National University of Singapore, and attended the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School in 2013.

Kirsten Tisdale

Managing Partner, Government and Public Sector, EY Canada

Kirsten leads EY Canada’s Government and Public Sector (GPS) practice and is passionate about building capacity and innovation within the public sector and enabling better government. Kirsten has also served as the firm’s Global GPS Advisory Leader and drove solution development and investment strategy for our government practice in over 100 countries. 

She has nearly 25 years of experience in advising governments across Canada and globally on designing and implementing complex transformation programs to drive better outcomes for citizens while enabling a stronger and more confident public service.

Scott Jones

President, Shared Services Canada

cott Jones was appointed President of Shared Services Canada (SSC) effective September 11, 2023. Previous to this appointment, he was Executive Vice-President of SSC and, concurrently, Associate Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Prior to April 2022, Scott was the Federal Lead on Proof of Vaccine Credentials and Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). He collaborated with federal partners, provinces and territories to successfully deliver the Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination program that is used for travel in Canada and internationally. Scott also led IRCC’s efforts related to digital transformation, modernization, IM/IT and data, as well as the Citizenship and Passport programs.

From October 2018 to August 2021, he was the founding  Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment (CSE).

Since beginning his career in 1999, Scott has held various positions at CSE. They included Assistant Deputy Minister of IT Security; acting Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services; Chief Financial Officer; and Director General of Cyber Defence, providing leadership in the areas of signals intelligence and IT security. Before that, he worked at the Privy Council Office as a National Security Policy Advisor in the Security and Intelligence Secretariat.

Scott has been with the public service for over 20 years. He is a graduate of the University of Ottawa, where he earned a Master of Business Administration. Scott also holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electronic Systems Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Regina.

Paul N. Wagner

Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Digital Service, Canada

Paul N. Wagner is the Chief Executive Officer for the Canadian Digital Service ( CDS). In this role, Paul is responsible for leading work to modernize digital service delivery across government departments, improving user experiences, accelerating project
timelines and building digital common components that solve common service problems.

With over 20 years experience in the Canadian Federal Public Service, Paul has held executive leadership roles since 2004 including most notably as the Deputy Chief Information Officer of Canada within the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Chief Information Officer for Justice Canada, Library and Archives Canada and the National Research Council of Canada. Paul remains very active in the national and international councils and boards related to technology and digital service delivery
Prior to joining the Public Service, Paul held a number of senior positions spanning a
decade in the privat e sector working on implementing Enterprise Resource Planning
systems in the Retail Industry Paul holds a B.A. with a major in Economics from McGill University and an MBA from the University of Ottawa’s Executive MBA program.

When not focused on the business of Government, Paul is Chief DIY Officer at home
and is very active in the Ottawa sailing community and enjoys racing and cruising
sailboats on the Ottawa River and beyond.

Asif Zamir

Director of IT, Institute for Parliamentary Services, Pakistan

I work as Director IT in the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, Islamabad, Pakistan.

My responsibilities include:

• Oversees IT operations.
• Leads team of IT staff.
• Designs and implements IT strategies and infrastructure.
• Identifies and eliminates security risks.
• Hires new members of IT staff.
• Analyzes business requirements for IT needs and systems.
• Works to increase user satisfaction.
• Analyze current and past projects.
• Evaluates IT operations with regard to established goals.
• Communicate within IT team and across departments as needed.
• Assesses need for new equipment and software.
• Prepares progress and budget reports for upper management.
• Builds and maintains relationships with outside vendors.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.

Aminah Zawedde

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of ICT and NG, Uganda

Dr. Aminah Zawedde is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance of Uganda. She is an experienced IT professional passionate about embracing digital transformation to improve business models, public sector service delivery and transform people’s lives. She provides strategic and technical guidance on how various sectors can leverage innovation and digital solutions to solve their problems while creating employment opportunities for the youths. To this end, she has played a big role in strengthening the linkages between government, the private sector, academia and development partners as a driver to accelerating digital transformation. She also championed the development of Uganda’s digital transformation roadmap that was launched on August 17^th 2023 by the Vice President of Uganda. Dr. Zawedde is the first female Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance. She was awarded a national medal for her outstanding contribution to the field of ICT in Uganda on Labour Day of 2023 by H.E. The President of the Republic of Uganda. Dr. Zawedde is a Rotarian and also serves on the boards of DFCU Limited, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Uganda Telecommunications Corporation Limited and Mustard Seed Junior School.