COMMONWEALTH OMBUDSMAN
Jade Carson , CIO for the Office of the Australian Commonwealth Ombudsman reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought clarity to its ICT strategy
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W hen Jade Carson was propelled into the role of Chief Information Officer – a first CIO role for both her and the Ombudsman – her brief was to shape up the next stage of its strategic technology journey .
Four months later , with the public service facing one of the most disruptive events in its history , she found herself playing a central role in the Ombudsman ’ s pandemic response .
“ It meant shifting from a long-term mindset to dealing with a sudden burst of tactical questions needing answers right away ,” says Carson , sitting in her lounge room that due to social distancing was transformed into her office , meeting room and her four year old ’ s schoolhouse . “ The challenge was making sure that as we put in place the enablers to get people out of the office without a break in our service , we stayed connected to the long term vision .”
JUNE 2020