Episode 68: Data Foundations to Better Serve Canadians: Platforms, Literacy and Responsible AI

Ima Okonny is the Chief Data Officer at Employment and Social Development Canada. Ima leads work across the department of 40,000 people to better understand and use data to deliver services to Canadians, as well as to support policy development and reporting. She joins us on this episode of Public Sector Future to discuss foundational data platform approaches, responsible use of AI, and how she’s building data literacy right across the organization.

Listen to the episode

Episode 67: Cyber, Communications and Collaboration in Defense: Insights from Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn (Ret.)

Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn (Ret.) is the former Commander of the US Defense Information Systems Agency. He joins guest host AT Ball to share his insights on establishing cyber as domain, the role of technology in collaboration and communication, and the importance of understanding the needs of those in the field.

Listen to the episode

Episode 66: Using Generative AI to improve oversight of government spending

Fabio Correa Xavier is the CIO of the Court of Accounts in the State of São Paulo, Brazil (known as TCESP). The Court of Accounts oversees government spending of over $100bn, for the state of 44 million people. Fabio and his team have been early adopters of Gen AI to transform their ways of working.

Listen to the episode

Episode 65: Innovative Culture and AI: Digital Transformation in the City of Kelowna

As the CIO for the City of Kelowna in Canada, Jazz Pabla led a small team charged with delivering digital services and meeting the developing needs of a growing city. He meets host Olivia Neal to explore how the team used Generative AI to test new approaches to service delivery, to support developers, and to create a culture of innovation that attracts and keeps talented people.

Listen to the episode

Episode 64: Accessibility Fundamentals: Collaborating for Impact

Rich Corbridge is the Chief Digital and Information Officer for the Department for Work and Pensions in the UK. Rich shares how DWP have partnered with Microsoft to train 26,000 DWP employees on Accessibility Fundamentals.

Listen to the episode

Episode 63: A Connected and Citizen-Centered City: Lessons from Brussels

Mary Odile Lognard shares the approach that she and her team have taken to enable the digital transformation of the City of Brussels. She introduces BRUCE, the new omni-channel platform used by the city, explains the impact of this work, as well as her lessons for others.

Listen to the episode

Episode 62: Transforming Public Sector Services with Generative AI

Robyn Scott, CEO and Co-founder of Apolitical, uses examples from Japan, Canada, and Portugal to explore the potential for generative AI to transform government operations. She shares the lessons other public sector organizations can learn and the ‘balance towards optimism’ of public servants.

Listen to the episode

Episode 61: Digital Transformation in Modern Military Operations: Insights from General Bob Brown

With an overwhelming amount of information available in the world today, General Bob Brown discusses the need for advanced technology to make quick, informed decisions, and the significance of collaboration with allies and partners.

Listen to the episode

Episode 60: Leveling the Cybersecurity Playing Field with AI, Machine Learning and Cloud

Using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud to address cybersecurity challenges in the Public Sector.

Listen to the episode

Episode 59: Modernizing National Approaches to Cybersecurity

Sami Khoury is the Head of the Canadian Government’s Centre for Cyber Security. As Canada’s technical authority on cyber security, the team use their expertise to keep safe the information and systems that Canadians rely on, to protect and defend the country’s cyber assets and to lead Canada’s federal response to cybersecurity events.

Listen to the episode

Episode 58: Cybersecurity in an AI-Driven Landscape

Cybersecurity stands at the forefront of global concerns, and recent advancements in generative AI have opened new avenues for both progress and peril. Guest host Alvaro Vitta and Tom Burt, Corporate Vice President of Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft, delve into the insights from the 2023 Microsoft Digital Defense Report.

Listen to the episode

Episode 57: India’s Journey to Digital Transformation: A Conversation with Dr. Pramod Varma

India’s digital transformation journey has relied on strategic thinking, collaboration, and innovative solutions. Dr. Pramod Varma talks with us about how India overcame hurdles to create a robust digital ecosystem, including a digital identity program for over one billion people.

Listen to the episode

Episode 56: Championing Identity for All: Empowerment and Progress in Africa

Dr. Joseph Atick is a recognized thought leader in digital identity, economic development, data protection, and privacy. With a career spanning several decades, he is a founding father of the digital identity community and Executive Chairman for ID4Africa.

Listen to the episode

Episode 55: Lifelong Learning: Building Digital Skills through Continuing Education

Dr. Sheila LeBlanc is the Associate Vice President for Continuing Education at the University of Calgary. She explores the role of digital skills in lifelong learning, how demands from students and local businesses are changing, and ways in which using data can improve student success.

Listen to the episode

Episode 54: Curiosity and hope: building foundations for the future workforce

Washington State is leading the way in using new technologies to engage students and build digital skills. Host Olivia Neal talks to Superintendent Chris Reykdal to learn how they have adopted programs like ‘Coding in Minecraft’ to build interest and excitement, and to develop the foundations for students’ future success.

Listen to the episode

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 20: Delivering Amazing for the World Cup

Mohamed Abuagla is the Chief Executive for Hayya, the organization in Qatar responsible for helping the country manage the massive influx of people for the World Cup, while providing a seamless experience for fans entering the country, using transportation, and attending the games.

Listen to the episode

Episode 53: Building a platform for digital skills

Host Olivia Neal talks to H.E. Ohood Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development of the Future in the United Arab Emirates. She explains how the UAE are approaching building digital skills at scale through their Jahiz platform, and why understanding digital needs to start from the top.

Listen to the episode

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 19: Infrastructure is Our User Interface for the Planet

Peter Torrellas is President for Connected Communities at Parsons Corporation leading infrastructure-focused business across cities, transportation, and utilities. Peter joined the podcast to talk about embracing the complexity of infrastructure to implement projects across domains.

Read more on Episode 19

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 18: The Power of Having a Vision

Enrique Penalosa, the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia joined the podcast to talk about the importance of having – and sticking to – a clear vision to overcome resistance and drive change at the city level and how it helped him transform Bogota.

Read more on Episode 18

Episode 52: The importance of skilling in the digital world

On this episode, host Olivia Neal talks to Geoff Connell, the Chief Digital Officer for Norfolk County Council. He shares successful approaches for training and upskilling employees, building digital skillsets, and getting the most from your investment in technology.

Read more on Episode 52

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 17: How Art is Driving Change in Philadelphia

Jane Golden is the Executive Director of Mural Arts in Philadelphia. Jane joined us to talk about how engaging communities is driving positive change in the city and how murals are changing SEPTA spaces to improve the passenger experience.

Read more on Episode 17

Episode 51: The UK’s Police Digital Service

On this episode, host Olivia Neal speaks to Ian Bell, CEO of the UK’s Police Digital Service. He offers an inside look into the role of the Police Digital Service and how it is harnessing the power of digital, data and technology to enable UK policing to better protect the communities it serves.

Read more on Episode 51

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 16: How Cascais Became a Smarter City

Miguel Pinto Luz the Deputy Mayor of Cascais joined us to share the story of how Cascais prioritizes quality of life, and how it’s putting service delivery and economic development first to achieve it. Listen to learn about Cascais’s transportation system and why accountability and transparency are at the core of how Cascais is becoming a smarter city.

Read more on Episode 16

Episode 50: Digital Forensics

On this episode, host Olivia Neal speaks to Detective Sergeant John Price from the West Midlands Police Force in the United Kingdom. He shares insights from the world of digital forensics and how investigators are using technology to help victims more effectively in the modern age.

Read more on Episode 50

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 15: Charting the Future of Water

Peter Fiske is the Executive Director of the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI). He joined The Future of Infrastructure to talk to us about the future of water – and how infrastructure will need to change to combat climate change, become more efficient, and meet demand in the coming decades.

Read more on Episode 15

Episode 49: Tech Saving Lives: A Fireside Chat with Chief Dan Munsey on Transforming Emergency Response

On this episode, host Olivia Neal speaks to San Bernardino Fire Chief Dan Munsey. Chief Munsey is also Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Technology Council. He shares how embracing new technologies has brought opportunities to transform emergency response and help protect the two million residents of San Bernardino County.

Read more on Episode 49

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 14: Sustainability is an Opportunity for Transportation

Laura Tolkoff is the Transportation Policy Director at SPUR – the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association. Laura joined the Future of Infrastructure to talk about why sustainability is an opportunity for transportation, and how SPUR is shaping San Francisco’s transportation system.

Read more on Episode 14

Future of Infrastructure: Episode 13: Promoting Joy: The Role of Parks and Public Spaces in City Infrastructure

Phil Ginsburg is the General Manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. He joined the Future of Infrastructure to talk about the importance and often overlooked role of parks as infrastructure that make cities work for their residents.

Read more on Episode 13

Episode 48: Technology Trends and Decision Advantage in Defense

On this episode, guest host AT Ball speaks to Retired Vice Admiral Ann E. Rondeau, President of the Naval Postgraduate School. Rondeau offers an inside look into how defense organizations can adopt digital tools and adapt with emerging technology.

Read more on Episode 48

Episode 47: Preparing tax operations for new technologies

On this episode, host Olivia Neal meets Prof. Dennis Weber and Dr. Dennis Post. They share insights from the CPT research project (cashless, platform-based and technology-driven) on the impacts and opportunities for tax operations of emerging technologies, such as cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and artificial intelligence.

Read more on Episode 47

Episode 46: Becoming a Digital Government: Lessons from Ukraine

On this episode, host Olivia Neal speaks to Gulsanna Mamediieva, of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. She shares how the government has embraced digital transformation and digital identity, and how this has supported citizens during the war.

Read more on Episode 46

Episode 45: Digital Collaboration in Defense: Using technology to enable secure cooperation

On the second episode of our Defense and Intelligence mini-series, guest host AT Ball talks to Perry Smith of Myriad Technologies. Perry shares an inside look into the technology that enables secure collaboration between defense organizations.

Read more on Episode 45

Episode 44: Defense & Intelligence: Adopting digital engineering

On the first episode of our Defense and Intelligence mini-series, Microsoft’s AT Ball is joined by Rob Clifford, Chief Data Officer for BAE Systems, Maritime and Land Division. They discuss how digital engineering and cloud-enabled technologies support mission outcomes.

Read more on Episode 44

Episode 43: Future of Infrastructure: Lessons Learned from 100 Years of City Planning

Tom Wright is the CEO of the Regional Plan Association. He joined the podcast for a discussion of what they’ve learned by taking the long view of city and regional planning.

Read more on Episode 43

Episode 42: Future of Infrastructure: Building for Resilience

The Special Advisor for Climate & Sustainability at Columbia University talks about lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy and how a comprehensive infrastructure approach mitigates the impact of climate change.

Read more on Episode 42

Episode 41: Building blocks for digital transformation

Ashleigh Sinclair, Managing Associate at Linklaters and Andrew Cooke, Global Policy Lead at Microsoft share insights from their paper on Building Blocks for a Successful Digital Transformation Strategy.

Read more on Episode 41

Episode 40: Digital Innovation in Tax and Customs

Mick Connolly is the Head of IT Innovation for HM Revenue and Customs in the UK. He chats with guest host Steve Barr about using technology to reach your goals and the importance of innovation in tax and customs operations.

Read more on Episode 40

Episode 39: The future of tax operations

Jeff Saviano is the Global Tax Innovation Leader for EY. In the first episode of our Public Finance mini-series, Jeff tells Olivia about the intersection of tax and innovation and shares what he sees in the future of public finance.

Read more on Episode 39

Episode 38: Cybersecurity, Compliance and Cloud: Lessons from Singapore

Yeo Beng Huay leads the Governance Planning and Policy Division in GovTech, Singapore. Her team plans and formulates policies, standards, and guidance for government ICT and smart systems, and provides data driven management of compliance and risks.

Read more on Episode 38

Episode 37: Military Lessons on Cyberdefense

Dr. Marcus Thompson is a retired Major General and former Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defense Force. On the second episode of our cybersecurity mini-series, Dr. Thompson talks with Alvaro Vitta about best practices for protecting sensitive data and why making risk-based decisions is so important.

Read more on Episode 37

Episode 36: Cyber Resilience in Government

Tom Burt is the Corporate Vice President of Customer Security and Trust at Microsoft. On the first episode of our Cybersecurity mini-series, Tom tells Alvaro Vitta about the trends he’s seeing, working with the government in Ukraine on cyber defense, and how public sector organizations can be better prepared for future attacks.

Read more on Episode 36

Episode 35: Future of Infrastructure: Using Data to Make Equitable Investments

Denice Ross is the Chief Data Scientist in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In our discussion, she shared a behind-the-scenes look into how data can be used to measure equitable investments and their outcomes with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Read more on Episode 35

Episode 34: Future of Infrastructure: Skills are the Currency of the Global Workforce

Karin Kimbrough is the Chief Economist at LinkedIn and an expert in the global workforce. With increased global investment in infrastructure, a skilled workforce is needed to meet that demand. In this conversation, we discuss what this investment means for green jobs and women, and how we can expect the job market to shift in coming years.

Read more on Episode 34

Episode 33: Future of Infrastructure: Be Nimble to Succeed

Ratna Amin, Project Director for the City Administrator Office at the City of Oakland joined us to discuss how civic organizations are pushing governments to get transit infrastructure right – and the complexity of defining success.

Read more on Episode 33

Episode 32: Future of Infrastructure: Closing the Infrastructure Gap

Alice Charles brings a truly global perspective and decades of experience to our discussion of infrastructure and its impact. In this conversation, we talked about infrastructure needs around the world, and what kind of investments we need to make to close the gap.

Read more on Episode 32

Episode 31: Future of Infrastructure: Collaborating for Safer Roads

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada CEO, MJ Maynard joined Jeremy Goldberg to share how a collaboration between public agencies and technology companies helped make their roads safer.

Read more on Episode 31

Episode 30: Restricted data in the cloud

Rear Admiral António Gameiro Marques is the Director General of the Portuguese National Security Authority, which includes the National Cybersecurity Center.

Read more on Episode 30

Episode 29: Future of Infrastructure: Focusing on Long-Term Outcomes

CEO of Infrastructure Western Australia Philip Helberg joined Jeremy Goldberg for our latest discussion on the Future of Infrastructure. Infrastructure has to serve people in the long term and this discussion is all about how to effectively make long term plans for infrastructure investment, and just as importantly, how to know if your plan is working.

Read more on Episode 29

Episode 28: Future of Infrastructure: Changing Lanes: Equity in Transit

Seleta Reynolds, former GM of LADOT Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) joined Jeremy Goldberg to talk about the impact of our transit system on women and how we can build more effective and equitable transportation systems.

Read more on Episode 28

Episode 27: Future of Infrastructure: Be Obsessed with Delivering the Basics

Changing the face of Cleveland’s lakefront has been a long-term project. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb joined Jeremy Goldberg in our latest Future of Infrastructure episode to talk about the importance of building trust and equity by investing in infrastructure like the lakefront and getting the basics right.

Read more on Episode 27

Episode 26: What the UAE government can teach us about innovation

Her Excellency Huda Al Hashimi is the Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs to the United Arab Emirates Government. She also leads the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation.

Read more on Episode 26

Episode 25: Future of Infrastructure: Public Interest Technology: This is Our Work

In the 1960s, Public Interest Law emerged as a way for the legal profession to deploy its expertise in service of the public. Today, our guest Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation says that it’s time for the same ethic and commitment to emerge from the field of technology. In this episode we discuss how to make that happen and what it will look like in practice when we create the structures for technologists to work in the public interest.

Read more on Episode 25

Episode 24: Future of Infrastructure: Re-linking a Community

How can city leaders tackle the inequities of infrastructure built in the past? In this episode, Mayor Quinton Lucas joined guest host Jeremy Goldberg to talk about the legacy of U.S. Highway 71 in Kansas City, a divided community, and how he is using the U.S.’s Infrastructure Bill to build more equitable infrastructure.

Read more on Episode 24

Episode 23: Coming up: Future of Infrastructure

Public Sector Future host, Olivia Neal, is passing the baton to Jeremy Goldberg for a group of episodes that dive deep into the future of infrastructure. Jeremy explains why this is an important topic, what we actually mean when we talk about infrastructure, and what you can expect to hear in this special miniseries.

Read more on Episode 23

Episode 22: Government migration to cloud ecosystems

Dr. Rami Amin is based in the Digital Development Practice at the World Bank Group, leading global advisory work on how to accelerate digital transformation, sectoral investment, and economic growth. He is a lead author of the World Bank’s Government Cloud Migration report.

Read more on Episode 22

Episode 21: Cybersecurity – Protecting a global research university

Mary Ann Blair is the Chief Information Security Officer at Carnegie Mellon University. She is responsible for information security engineering and operations; incident prevention, detection, and response; policy and compliance; training and awareness; and identity and access management services.

Read more on Episode 21

Episode 20: Inclusivity and Sustainability in Education

Stefania Giannini was appointed UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education in 2018, becoming the top UN official in the field. Prior to this, she served as Minister of Education in Italy, Senator of the Republic of Italy, and Rector of the University for Foreigners of Perugia.

Read more on Episode 20

Episode 19: Digital India – Part 2

Abhishek Singh is the CEO of MyGov, National e-Governance Division, and Digital India Corporation in the Government of India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT. Discover how he provides assisted access to digital services, works across various levels of the government, and implements data standards and service integration. Singh dives into projects like DigiLocker and shares where he draws inspiration from.

Read more on Episode 19

Episode 18: Digital India – Part 1

Abhishek Singh is the CEO of MyGov, CEO, National e-Governance Division and MD & CEO, Digital India Corporation in the Government of India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT. Discover Singh’s priorities in his roles, his communications and engagement approaches, the structure of Digital India, and how the pandemic transformed and continues to impact hybrid work in India.

Read more on Episode 18

Episode 17: Innovation in children’s social care

Dr. Carol Homden is the Chief Executive of Coram, a group of specialist children’s charities based in the UK, reaching 2.5 million children, families, and professionals each year. Dr. Homden also serves as Chair of Diabetes UK and was previously Chair of the UK’s National Autistic Society for 10 years.

Read more on Episode 17

Episode 16: AI for Sustainability

Dr. Vik Pant is the Chief Scientist and Chief Science Advisor of Natural Resources Canada. He is responsible for providing strategic direction to build capacity within their scientific community and accelerating the creative application of innovative digital technologies including Artificial Intelligence.

Read more on Episode 16

Episode 15: Data Curation for Sharing and Crisis Response

Professor Dame Angela McLean is the Chief Scientific Adviser for the UK Ministry of Defence. She was appointed to the role in 2019. McLean is a Professor of Mathematical Biology in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University and Director of The Institute for Emerging Infections of Humans.

Read more on Episode 15

Episode 14: Real Time Crime Center

Inspector Joseph Courtesis spent 27 years of serving with the New York Police Department (NYPD). Courtesis was former Commander of the 105th and 106th Precincts, Central Investigations Division, and the NYPD’s Real Time Crime Center. We explore how better use of data delivered outcomes for NYPD.

Read more on Episode 14

Episode 13: Providing meals to vulnerable communities

André Correr is the Institutional Relations and Project Manager at Best.Projects. Prior to his role at Best.Projects, Correr served in the public sector in São Paulo for ten years. He received his degree in Public Policy Management from the University of São Paulo.

Read more on Episode 13

Episode 12: Taking defense and intelligence to the cloud edge

Mike Schrock is the Vice President of Global Alliances at Thales, leading work on technology initiatives involving the intersection between cloud technology, data security, public trust, digital payments, and society.

Read more on Episode 12

Episode 11: The rise of remote learning and future of education

Mohammad Almadani is the CEO of Classera and was one of the founders of the organization in 2012. He was driven to develop smart learning focusing on AI, gamification, and social learning. In 2017, Almadani received the Endeavor World Certificate as one of the most impacting entrepreneurs in the world.

Read more on Episode 11

Episode 10: How to build a digital organization at scale

Jacky Wright spent two years on secondment to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the UK’s tax and customs department, where she was their Chief Digital and Information Officer. In 2019, she rejoined Microsoft as Chief Digital Officer and Corporate Vice President.

Read more on Episode 10

Episode 9: Lessons from Denmark: Moving Operations to Cloud

Maria Hald spent 20 years in the Danish public sector before becoming the Public Sector Lead of Microsoft Denmark in 2020. We discuss her role as the Deputy Director General in the Ministry of Finance where she oversaw a shared service center for HR for central government agencies in Denmark.

Read more on Episode 9

Episode 8: Scaling Digital Transformation in Brazil

Luis Felipe Monteiro is the Secretary of Digital Government in Brazil. He oversees digital transformation of the federal government, and the supply and quality of public services. In 2020 he was named one of the World’s 50 Most Influential People Revolutionizing Government by Apolitical.

Read more on Episode 8

Episode 7: Accessibility in the public sector

Yazmine Laroche is the Deputy Minister for Public Service Accessibility in the Government of Canada. Laroche has over 25 years of experience in the public sector across a variety of departments. Her ambition is to make the Canadian public service the most accessible in the world.

Read more on Episode 7

Episode 6: e-Estonia: Using Data to Deliver Trusted Services

Siim Sikkut is the Government CIO of Estonia, which has been called ‘the most advanced digital society in the world.’ He was named one of world’s top 20 most influential people in digital government by Apolitical in 2018 & 2019. He is the chair of OECD Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials.

Read more on Episode 6

Episode 5: Challenge-based approaches to Public Sector innovation

Jeremy Goldberg recently joined Microsoft’s Worldwide Public Sector team. He’s worked in government in the city of San Jose, San Francisco, the city of New York, and most recently was leading technology for the Governor of New York State. We dive into one of the projects he was responsible for in the New York City Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer.

Read more on Episode 5

Episode  4:  Seamless services – Digital access to birth certificates

In this episode we speak with Yolanda Martínez about one of the key challenges of successful digital transformation, the ability to work across boundaries and barriers to share and use data, and to better deliver services to people who really need them. We discuss how she worked across federal and regional boundaries while leading the National Digital Strategy of Mexico to give everybody the ability to obtain their right to identity through digital access to birth certificates.

Read more on Episode 4

Episode 3: Digital Policing

In this episode we explore the technology and cultural changes that have been put in place by Western Australia’s Police Force. Join us as we sit down with Western Australia’s Assistant Divisional Officer, Darren Henstock.

Read more on Episode 3

Episode 2: Mixed Reality

A look inside emerging areas of technology from 3D computer vision to AI. We speak with Dr. Marc Pollefeys, Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich and Director of Science at Microsoft who leads MSFT’s Mixed Reality and AI lab in Zurich.

Episode 1: Rules as Code

New research is rethinking one of the core functions of government – rule making. In this episode, we talk to Alex Roberts, the Deputy Head of the Observatory of Public Sector Innovation at the OECD.

Read more on Episode 1