blog As has been widely known inside the Victorian Government for a while now, former South Australian whole of government chief information officer Grantly Mailes has been appointed to a permanent role as Victoria’s first chief technology advocate — a new style of role recommended in the state’s new ICT strategy which Mailes coordinated. To say we’re happy with this outcome is an understatement — Mailes is a top operator and we expect great things from his time in Victoria. God knows the state needs all the help it can get right now when it comes to its IT operations. The media release:
“The Victorian Coalition Government has appointed Grantly Mailes as the State’s first Chief Technology Advocate.
Assistant Treasurer and Technology Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips said Mr Mailes would have responsibility for the delivery of the Coalition Government’s new ICT strategy.
“The Chief Technology Advocate will provide direction and co-ordination in information management and technology within the Victorian Government,” Mr Rich-Phillips said. “Mr Mailes will initially focus on delivering better services, reducing waste, encouraging innovation and improving ICT procurement across government. This work is vitally important to ensuring that the government’s ICT projects are delivered to make the best use of taxpayers’ money.
“The previous Labor Government adopted a piecemeal approach to ICT that saw at least $1.44 billion wasted in cost blowouts on projects like HealthSMART, myki and the LEAP database. The money that Labor frittered away by mismanaging ICT projects could have funded the development of vital infrastructure like schools, hospitals and roads. The Coalition Government’s new strategy aligns processes across departments and sets clear lines of governance, accountability and direction that were clearly absent under Labor.”
Mr Mailes has more than 15 years of experience working with public sector and private organisations advising on complex strategy, systems integration, outsourcing and procurement projects. Mr Mailes was the inaugural Chief Information Officer for the Government of South Australia, and was responsible for a number of major reforms in information technology. The role of Chief Technology Advocate will complement Mr Mailes’ role as Deputy Secretary, Innovation and Technology for the Department of Business and Innovation.
The Coalition Government will continue to seek industry guidance from the Victorian ICT Advisory Committee (VICTAC).”
Image credit: Grantley Mailes