Connect the state is Digital Iceland's annual conference where the digital future of the public sector is the topic of discussion. The conference will take place on the 26th of September from 13-17 at the Hilton Nordica Hotel and will also be streamed.
The theme of this year's conference is change management with a special emphasis on the implementation of digital services and processes. Dave Rogers, Liz Whitfield, and Sara Bowley are keynote speakers at this year's conference, all of whom have been involved in and achieved great success in different and large-scale digital transformation projects in the UK government. More information about Dave, Liz, and Sara can be found below.
There will also be a number of interesting talks from organizations that have achieved success in digital travel and digital services. Among them are presentations from The Icelandic Transport Authority, Iceland Health, the Social Insurance Administration, the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health, and on the project For Grindavík. The program ends with the Digital Steps of Institutions, where recognition will be given to the institutions that have taken digital leaps during the year in collaboration with Digital Iceland.
On the morning of the conference day, there will be 4 workshops focusing on services, IT, Ísland.is website, and finally on the benefits of digital transformation. Participants in the workshops are CEOs, service managers, and CTOs from organisations. The goal of the workshops is a purposeful contribution to the digital development that lies ahead in the coming months.
The workshops will be from 10-12 on the morning of the conference, while the conference will be from 13-17.
Ticket prices this year will be 7,900 for the conference and 2,900 for streaming.
Keynote Speakers Connecting the State 2024
Dave Rogers is a cross-sector Partner at Public Digital, leading major engagements and providing expertise on digital leadership and technology.
He is an advisor on digital, technology, and organisational transformation, with leadership experience in digital delivery and user-centered service and policy design. He is also a technology specialist, with expertise in the design and delivery of software, data services, artificial intelligence, and cyber security. Dave has advised global governments and multinational companies, including the governments of Canada, Australia, Jamaica, and Madagascar; Arup, The Premier League, and BT. His role is to provide strategy advice, coaching, and facilitation to achieve benefits for end users alongside broader system or market impacts. Prior to joining Public Digital, Dave helped found the UK Ministry of Justice Digital team, growing it from just nine people to more than 1,300. As Chief Technology Officer, Dave helped transform justice in England and Wales through the delivery of technology and the application of user-centered design.
Liz Whitefield, an Executive Director, and co-founder of Hippo brings a wealth of experience and insight, particularly in understanding the challenges of delivery across public services. Hippo is an award-winning full-service digital services partner with a proven track record of delivering user-centered digital services for major public and private sector clients, including Health, Welfare, Education, and Justice. Founded in 2017, Hippo Digital is a Leeds-headquartered technology company that has grown from only six people to employ around 500 consultants across six UK locations.
Her 30 years of experience in the public sector included delivery, consultancy, and transformation roles, latterly in helping to embed digital capability across the Department for Work and Pensions. Liz played a pivotal role in establishing the first Digital Academy in the UK Public Sector which went on to support over 3000 delegates from across multiple government Departments. She has delivered services to improve the experience and support for end users and understands the key part building effective relationships with key stakeholders plays in any transformation
Sara Bowley is the Deputy Director for Digital Health and Disability Services at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) UK. She is responsible for transforming the Health Assessment Service.
Before joining the Civil Service this year, Sara was Delivery Director at the BBC leading digital transformation and delivery of products including iPlayer and Sounds. She was also part of the team at the Government Digital Service (GDS) that launched GOV.UK. She has over 25 years of experience working in digital across many different industries from commercial, public services, media, and charity sectors.
She is an outcome-focused leader who advocates for a human-centred approach to transforming digital public services. She is passionate about putting the user at the heart of the design and delivery process and building great teams empowered to deliver impact at scale.
Connecting the State 2024 Agenda
Dave will explore the human side of change, as experienced within the context of digital transformation. Dave will talk about trust, challenging belief in false certainty and sustainability, giving a story from his own experience to show the importance of considering each of these factors.
Sara and Liz share their experience and perspectives on the critical role of people in driving successful digital transformation. While recognizing technology's essential role, they will explore how the human element—leadership, adaptability, and collaboration—are crucial. They will also discuss challenges like resistance to change, skills gaps, and fostering a digital mindset, offering insights on overcoming these barriers to achieve lasting transformation.
Hólfríður Sigríður Jónsdóttir Team leader for software solutions in Social Insurance Administration IT department
Þórhildur Elínardóttir
Head of Communication at Icelandic Transport Authority
Bergrún Lilja Sigurjónsdóttir, Head of Division People, information and development
and Jón Ingi Einarsson, Head of Division Operations and Analysis
Kristján Þorvaldsson CIO Iceland Health
Workshops
First part: Cooperation with Digital Iceland on the financial impact of institutions operations.
The central cost of operations and development of Digital Iceland will be discussed and what impact it has on the operation of the cooperative institutions. The methodology of the framework contract of Digital Iceland will also be reviewed and what opportunities it provides institutions.
The desired outcome of the workshop is to improve cooperation between institutions, increase predictability in the operation of an institution, and discuss opportunities in collaboration with Digital Iceland from the perspective of financial operations.
Second part: The impact of investment in software development and digital processes on the functioning and operation of the institution and projects.
The financial benefits of digital processes will be discussed, especially from the methodology of benefit assessment developed by Digital Iceland in collaboration with institutions. There will also be opportunities to improve operations through investments in information technology and what are the main challenges.
The aim is to discuss the benefits of the development, suggest improvements, and identify common challenges for IT investments.
In the workshop we want to explore the vision for the website Ísland.is and how it can be made even better and ensure that it meets the needs of the many and fast growing user groups visiting it. The website’s content will be taken as a starting point, with more and more adding to it, and the methods of its presentation need to be constantly reevaluated, as well as our role as content creators for public websites. Special attention will be paid to the role of the website manager and other content creators of the institutions, and there will be room for discussion and dialogue between the participants.
We hope that the results of the workshop can be used to help answer important questions that arise when considering the future design and development of one of the most important information and service website in Iceland.
How can we work towards good and cost-effective public services? In the workshop, we will look into the needs of users of public services and discuss how we can best accommodate users. Can we be true to service promises that meet the needs of the entire community? The workshop also aims to examine how public bodies can collaborate better and provide coordinated services. What are the main obstacles in the current service? Are existing tools, such as Outlook and document systems, the best solutions for providing modern services?
A workshop on technology and development which is designed for CTOs and digital leaders of organizations and is divided into two parts.
First part - Authorization and Authentication What are the most pressing challenges when it comes to ensuring secure authentication and authorization while maintaining a good user experience? Today, Digital Iceland operates a authorization and authentication system, but do these solutions solve all the organizations' needs? What does the future look like for users of public sector digital solutions, whether for personal use or for work? The aim of the first part of the workshop is to open up the conversation about these challenges and gather ideas for feasible actions.
Second part – Straumurinn How can we design the data communication layer of Straumurinn, so that it suits the different needs of organizations for diverse and secure data communication in the future? Straumurinn is based on decentralized and encrypted data communication with a RESTful API web service interface where data flows directly between service providers and service recipients. Does this model satisfy the needs of organizations for all data communication - or should Straumurinn also support other needs in data communication?
