Executive Education Programme in Digital Transformation for UK Local Government 2023

About the programme

The Executive Education Programme in Digital Transformation for UK Local Government took place over 3 days in February and March 2023.

The programme was designed to equip senior local government officers with the confidence and expertise they need to lead the successful digital transformation of public services to better meet the needs of their citizens.

Each week covered a different module in digital transformation:

Module 1 – Digital transformation: the story so far
Module 2 – Upskilling and future-proofing your organisation
Module 3 – Digital transformation in practice

You can watch recordings of the keynote presentations and panel sessions on this page.

Module 1: Digital transformation, the story so far

The first module set the scene, emphasising the importance of digital transformation and how it affects organisations now and in the future. The module gave an overview of digital transformation from the leaders’ perspective - why it should happen, why it’s important, the successes, the challenges, the impact and so on. The keynote sessions and Q&A gave valuable insights from a leadership perspective exploring the highs and the lows of digital transformation.

Module 1.1 - Keynote from Catherine Howe

In her keynote presentation, Dr Catherine Howe (Chief Executive at Adur & Worthing Council), talked about how leadership needs to change, in order to create well-designed organisations that are responsive to change and have the right capabilities.

Module 1.2 - Keynote from Matt Prosser

President at SOLACE and Chief Executive at Dorset Council, Matt Prosser, gave an overview of Dorset’s journey to digital transformation. Matt shared best practice case studies from across the county, including their Dorset Innovation Park and FutureFest, a festival that showcases digital solutions from a range of sectors including education, farming, and tourism.

Module 2: Upskilling and future-proofing your organisation

The second module delved deeper into how to transform digitally, focusing on skills and training. The objective was to communicate the skills, habits and best practice needed for successful digital transformation, how to train existing staff, and the support available to help organisations on their journey. The keynote and panel sessions gave valuable insights from a leadership perspective on the ‘how to’ of digital transformation, sharing top tips and key learnings for other senior leaders.

Module 2.1 - Keynote from Matt Lewis

The second day opened with a keynote presentation from Matt Lewis, Chief Operating Officer at Shared Regulatory Services (SRS) Shared Services Centre, Wales. After introducing SRS, Matt outlined the recruitment, retention, and reward challenges they are tackling, and how they are working to make SRS a great place to work.

Module 2.2 - Keynote from Alison McKenzie-Folan

In her passionate keynote, Alison MacKenzie-Folan (Chief Executive at Wigan Council) spoke about the importance of integrating digital throughout an organisation. Alison shared the example of the ‘Wigan Digital Deal’ and outlined how their Digital Strategy is helping to make “digital part of everything we do”.

Module 2.3 - Keynote from Liam Maxwell

Following on from Alison, Director of Government Transformation at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Liam Maxwell, shared his top tips for building better citizen services. Using examples from across local government, Liam outlined how business models are changing and the importance of viewing digital transformation as a way of thinking, rather than simply adopting new technology.

Module 2.4 - Panel session

The panel, chaired by Helen Braithwaite (Head of Engagement at Local Digital), invited panel members to comment on the issues and themes that have been highlighted by the interactive workshop session, focussing on experience, knowledge and expertise of digital transformation as a senior leader. On the panel, Helen was joined by Geoff Connell (Director of IMT and Chief Digital Officer at Norfolk County Council), Tariq Khan (Chief Digital & Information Officer at London Borough of Camden), Eddie Copeland (Director at LOTI) and Charlene Manning (Regional Business Development Manager at AWS).

Module 3 - Digital transformation in practice

The third module focused on the operational and delivery side of transformation, turning learnings from Module 1 and 2 into reality. The objective was to help senior leaders to understand the practical steps that they can take to implement digital transformation and to inspire action.

Module 3.1 - Keynote from Jon McGinty

The final module saw Jon McGinty (Managing Director at Gloucester City Council) give an inspiring keynote address on transformation delivery in practice. Jon shared case studies from across local government, including everything from thermal cameras to Pokémon Go, virtual assistants to Smart Cows!

Module 3.2 - Panel session

Jon McGinty was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Egle Shaw (Collaboration and Engagement Manager, Local Digital). The topic for the panel session was ‘collaboration as an enabler for digital transformation’ and prompted a thought-provoking discussion about the benefits of collaboration across both public and private sector. On the panel, Egle was joined by Andrew Parsons (IoT Programme Manager at Digital and IT Service for Kingston and Sutton), Jenny Nelson (Programme Manager at Newcastle City Council) and Paul Doney (ICT Business Applications and Database Manager at Newcastle City Council).