Delivering Public Service using Technology

Helen has been a councillor in Redbridge in east London since 2010. From 2014 she has held several different Cabinet roles starting with Regeneration, Planning and Property and leading on the delivery of the Local Plan. Her current portfolio is Resources and Transformation which encompasses ICT, Digital, Customers, Procurement and more. This has given her an in depth understanding of the scale of the challenges facing the Council and the need for technology and innovation to deliver services to citizens efficiently.

I am a strong leader, always forward-thinking, focusing on empowering other senior leaders to navigate and succeed in the digital landscape.

In my time at Oxfordshire County Council, and in other roles, I have leveraged my expertise in digital transformation and IT leadership.

Creating collaborative environments has been pivotal in driving cost-effective solutions and enhancing service delivery. With a commitment to aligning technology with strategic business objectives, our work has enabled robust platforms for engagement and efficiency, underpinned by my analytical skills, consulting acumen, and a deep understanding of Information Technology.

David is CEO of the Tech Industry Forum, a not-for-profit trade body that champions and helps accelerate the adoption of cloud technology and services.  He is a well-known strategist, keynote speaker and influencer on business transformation using cloud, digital, social, mobile, collaboration, and ERP.  He spent 9 years at IBM followed by senior management and director roles at Interactive, CSI, Cyberaid, Brook Street Computers, DataWorks, Indus and CODA before starting his own consulting businesses.  David is a regular speaker, chair and moderator at technology events, hosts a weekly interview video podcast called TWF!, and a monthly BrightTALK panel show called Digital Transformation in Action.  He has lectured on digital at Henley Business School, and INSEEC.  A regular awards judge, he is passionate about helping organisations navigate the shift to digital successfully so they can do more with less. 

Oliver is a policy expert focused on the use of artificial intelligence in public services and its impact on the future of work. He co-led a project that proposed a policy framework for government approaches to platform work, which was informed by the needs of workers using the platforms.

Through policy, he hopes to bring transformative change that makes people’s lives healthier and more productive and fulfilling.

Oliver was previously a senior policy analyst at the Centre for Social Justice, where he organised a high-profile commission that fed into the United Kingdom government’s National Disability Strategy. His policy work has been recognised through awards and national competitions.

Jonathan is a digital specialist at the National Audit Office and has over 20 years' experience of assessing digital and technology programmes in the central government sector, including the management of associated technology risk.

He is a contributing author to numerous NAO reports including Digital transformation in government, Challenges in using data across government, Digital transformation in the NHS and The challenges in implementing digital change.

John Keegan, Deputy Director, Head of Digital Security at DWP Digital, is transforming how the department protects digital services from cyber threats.

John joined the department as Head of Infrastructure Services in June 2016. Following this he was Head of Production Engineering, establishing an SRE function, before merging this function into Hybrid Cloud Services. John then led a programme to bring in-house hosting and desktop services from managed service providers. Since 2021 John has led the Adaptive Security Programme to improve cyber security controls based on the NIST-CSF (Cyber Security Framework) as well as leading the Digital Security function.

John has established a reputation for being a resourceful, innovative, and highly skilled technical and security leader with over 30 years’ experience in ICT and security; he has built his portfolio from a solid hands-on technical delivery basis through to established business leaders. John holds a range of industry technical certifications including CEng MIET, Cisco CCIE, CISSP and NIST-CSF Practitioner.

Prior to joining DWP Digital, John held various leadership roles within Fujitsu and British Telecom.

Penny has spent time as a writer and journalist, corporate communications professional, and university lecturer. She now leads the multi-award-winning digital skills and adoption team at Dorset Council, using networking and people-centred approach to build collaborations across the region. She started Dorset’s Digital Skills Partnership, works closely with health colleagues to build a digital inclusion approach for the Integrated Care Board and is investigating the role of culture in embedding a forward-thinking, digital mindset in business alongside Futuredotnow.