Principal Advisor - Strategy (Policy and Trade Branch)
Ministry for Primary Industries
Total years of experience :23 years, 5 Months
I’m currently responsible for delivering a special project reporting to and sponsored by the Director of Systems, Strategy and Science. The project has been identified as one of the key outcomes for Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) 2014-2015.
My role is focused on developing the concept (supported with a Strategic Assessment), assessing and selecting the preferred option for delivery, and planning for implementation. The role requires extensive engagement with internal MPI staff, across government departments, and with overseas trade offices.
At the request of the Director, I also attend meetings (internal and external) on his behalf to represent the views of MPI/Division. This includes discussing initiatives where the Division is a funding partner, and where negotiation is needed to confirm that MPI’s needs are being met to continue further involvement.
In my current role, I am responsible for (seconded from the State Services Commission):
• Developing Guidance for Cross Agency Funding
• Providing feedback to approaches to improve the public sector system
• Providing valuable input into risk management approaches in the State Services Commission (at their request)
• Providing valuable input into governance approaches for State Services Commission (at their request)
• Understanding of government budgeting process and options for cross-agency funding
Major Projects Assurance Dept.
Responsibilities/Achievements:
• Monitoring and advising Program / Project Managers on the management of major projects in collaboration with representatives from Treasury; and were supported by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and Government Chief Information Officer Department as needed.
• Providing program / project assurance in the Defense and Tax Portfolios for the State Services Commission.
• Providing feedback to government departments on Business Cases submitted for major or complex projects following the Treasury’s Better Business Cases approach.
Responsibilities/Achievements:
• Managing the setup (building an Associate Network of experienced contractors).
• Business development with government departments.
Key Client: Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC)
• Developed a Discussion Document for Healthcare Education.
• Delivered a Strategy for implementation of a new University of Medicine and Health Sciences that covered initial licensure and accreditation to implementation of the institutional design.
Training Delivered
The Executive Council of Dubai
• Delivered training on Change Management to the Secretary General, Directors and Heads of Departments.
Dubai School of Government
• Delivered training on Strategy Development to fellow Directors and Managers; and students of the Master in Public Administration Programme.
Emirates Airlines
• Delivered training on Strategy Development to the Emirates Airlines Corporate ICT Department.
HULT International Business School
• Mentor (1 of 4 selected) for the Executive MBA class’s final client engagement project (Class of 2012).
President’s Office and Office of Strategy & Institutional Effectiveness
STRATEGY | PLANNING
• Established the Office of Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness charged with strategy development, execution and performance monitoring.
• Developed the Strategy for the Dubai School of Government. The Strategy development process included: establishing a Steering Committee with representation from Director down to Administration levels to promote communication through change champions; undertaking benchmarking and online stakeholder surveys to assist in defining market needs (14, 000 stakeholders with 40% response rate); a detailed analysis of the business environment; and running focused Business Model Generation with all employees (60+ staff) of the DSG (ensuring their involvement and transparency).
• Developed a Strategy for the high-level turnaround of the Dubai School of Government and assisted all departments in their Planning to ensure effective implementation of the Strategy.
• Developed a Framework for Strategic Partnerships to ensure that the Dubai School of Government signs agreements that are mutually beneficial with public, private and not-for-profit organizations.
OPERATING MODEL | SERVICE DESIGN
• Developed five Operating Models to guide the Service Design and operation of the School.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
• Developed an Organizational Structure for the Dubai School of Government, following the conceptual design of 6 Organizational Structures, addressing the needed internal and external linkages and final Scenario Testing against the Operating Models.
AWARDS
Awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the Secretary General of Dubai for work leading the development of Strategy and Policy Advice to improve services within the Dubai Government.
STRATEGY
Public Sector Reform Strategy
• Developed a detailed Strategy for coordinated public sector reform; covering a significant multi-year work programme for changes to Governance and Institutional Management (machinery of government), Public Financial Management, and Human Resource Management.
• This Strategy covered outcomes, strategic objectives, related projects; key performance indicators and a risk management system.
• Arranged a World Bank mission to meet with Centre of Government departments to help validate the Strategy.
POLICY ADVICE
• Provided Policy Advice to senior government officials on proposals for public sector reforms (public financial management, organizational designs, service improvements, policy proposals, changes to legislation, etc.).
• Policy Advice has covered areas such as:
o Costing, Sequencing and Prioritization of Public Sector Reform projects
o Public Financial Management (Supreme Fiscal and Policy Committee proposed legislation)
o Health Sector (Health Sector Strategy, Health Regulation, Healthcare Education, Corporatization of Health Services, Delegation of Federal Health Services)
o Aviation Sector (Aviation Sector Strategy)
o Energy Sector (Regulations and Safety Bureau)
o Marine Sector (Marine Transport Sector Strategy)
o Free Zones
o Organizational Structures (Dubai Health Authority, Community Development Authority, Department of Economic Development, Dubai Culture, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Public Prosecution, Awqaf and Minor Affairs)
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
• Developed a new Organizational Structure for the Public Sector Reform Division (within The Executive Council of Dubai) to improve Strategy and Policy Advice aligned to global best practice models for policy delivery units and project-based organizations.
PROGRAM & PROJECT MANAGEMENT | ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE | GOVERNANCE | CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Programme Director for Dubai’s Health Reforms 2008-2009.
• Led the Set-up of new Authorities and Agencies for the Dubai Government. This included the Dubai Health Authority, and developing Blueprints for proposed future agencies (including the Regulatory Agency, Funding Agency, and Healthcare Education Agency). Member of the Governance Board Health Reform.
• Developed a new Organizational Structure for the Dubai Health Authority.
• Recruited all C-level positions.
• Change Management of staff from legacy to new Organizational Structure.
• Managed engagement with delivery partner PA Consulting to complete the process design.
EVALUATION
• Delivered a detailed Evaluation of all major reform programs undertaken by the Dubai Government (covering the Health, Education, Social Services, and Culture and Arts sectors).
• Delivered a detailed Evaluation of 50+ government entities using functional decision tree analysis; and estimate of administrative savings with the view to Merge or Abolish.
• Provided Policy Advice supported by a detailed proposal for Procurement Reform for the Dubai Government that intended to introduce Centers of Procurement Excellence within leading government departments to improve current policy and procedures.
GOVERNANCE
• Developed a Proposal for Governance Network to improve knowledge exchange and better governance across the Dubai Government - linked to the new organizational structure for the Public Sector Reform Division.
GUIDANCE | TRAINING
• Developed the Dubai Government’s Guide to Organization Design; and Guide to Merging and Abolishing Government Entities.
• Provided training to counterparts on effective organization design.
BUSINESS CASES
• Led the analysis and development of a successful Business Case for the rationalization of knowledge management and information systems used for recording, editing and presenting news broadcasts for the BBC (covering all offices - local, regional and global).
• The Business Case presented potential savings in excess of £50 million for the BBC.
Responsibilities/Achievements:
• Led the establishment planning and implementation work stream for a multi-million $ program transforming the way that healthcare providers exchange information and being used as an example of good practice for other departments (particularly in relation to the program and project management). This included engagement with Treasury, State Services Commission; and providing written program status reports for the Director-General to present to the Minister of Health.
• Led the analysis and development of a successful Business Case for the National Systems Development Program (NSDP) - that secured Government funding in excess of NZD$150 million over 4 years to improve National Health Information Systems within the Ministry of Health. This included engagement with Treasury and the State Services Commission.
• Delivered a comprehensive Operational Framework (covering policy and processes) for the implementation and sustained operations for Connected Health (an enhanced information exchange network for the entire New Zealand Health and Disability sector). These policy and processes covered the overall institutional management and governance requirements required for implementation and sustained operations.
Strategy & Performance Improvement
Responsibilities/Achievements:
• Developed national health information strategies published online by the New Zealand Ministry of Health, including:
o NZ Health of Older People Information Strategic Plan 2006
o NZ Mental Health Information Strategy - Implementation Plan 2006
Project Risk Advisory Services
Responsibilities/Achievements:
• Provided independent project assessment and quality assurance services to major Government programs in New Zealand.
• Member of the National Healthcare Committee responsible for the review of projects and business development activities.
• Led the development of a Performance Monitoring Framework for the Accident Compensation Corporate (a national funder of health insurance and disability services in New Zealand), covering all contracted health service providers totaling over NZD$1 billion in annual expenditure. Project managed the design and implementation of the related business unit (people, process and technology) responsible with provider monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Implementing a Project Management Office within the Innovations Team of a major Government Department.
• Delivered a business process improvement project for the Transpower (national energy grid provider) - mapping over 140 individual business processes across 5 divisions, identifying process control frameworks and potential improvements.
Overseas training in PwC methodologies, including:
Project Management and Project Office (based on PRINCE2 and PMBOK principles)
Project Assessment (including Risk Assessment, Quality “Checkpoint” Reviews, Operational “Go-Live” Readiness, and Post Implementation Reviews).
Process Improvement Through Benefits Management (PITBM).
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC).
Strategy & Performance Improvement
Responsibilities/Achievements:
• Led the review of administrative support processes for a national health and safety agency and identifying value propositions for saving more than NZD$2 million in annual operating expenditure.
• Delivered a comprehensive assessment on the current state of air ambulance services in New Zealand and provided a baseline on demand / supply arrangements to inform future strategy discussion and development. Managed the public consultation for the project and completed the analysis of findings.
• Delivered a major District Health Board (DHB) information systems strategic planning project through systematic analysis of current infrastructure both within the DHB and provider settings.
• Delivered a review of quality management systems and reporting for regional operating units of a justice department. This also led to the centralization of functions/services (merging) from specific regional offices, and the abolishment of those regional offices no longer required.
Designing a new Risk Management qualification through market research of New Zealand's top risk managers.
Teaching undergraduate classes in Management and New Zealand's Financial Environment.
Received Honors in Management. Thesis: “A Journey through Change: Insights and Perspectives into Organisational Change.” Supervised by Associate Professor John Davies (Head of School). Thesis provides insights and perspectives gained from the work of Kotter (Leading Change), Senge (Organisational Learning) and Goldratt (Theory of Constraints) and the work of Campbell (The Hero's Journey). Honours papers include: Special Topic 2001: Emerging Issues in Electronic Commerce Advanced Organisational Development and Change Electronic Commerce: Technologies and Applications Organisational Behaviour Managerial Decision Processes Strategic Management Research Methods Human Resource Management
Airline Strategy Special Topic Paper: ‘An Investigation into the Feasibility of a New Low-Cost Carrier Entering the Commercial Trans-Tasman Airline Market’ – Supervised by Professor Alan Williams of the Graduate School of Business, Massey University. The purpose of the research was to identify the conditions of entry into the Trans-Tasman market and determine the competitive strategy a new low-cost carrier would be required to adopt in face of current competition levels. Awarded an ‘A’ grade. Aviation and Health Special Topic Paper: ‘An Investigation into the Travel Health Advice Offered by Christchurch Travel Agents to New Zealanders Travelling Overseas’ – Supervised by Dr Robin Griffiths of the Wellington School of Medicine, Otago University. The purpose of the research was to identify the best practice (i.e. health travel advice) that travel agents can offer international travellers, and to compare this to current industry practice/advice offered by ten Christchurch travel agents. Awarded an ‘A’ grade.