Q. You’ve been the CIO of Brampton for just over five years. Could you talk about the work you did prior to this and how it prepared you for the work you’re doing now?
A. I held senior positions within the IT industry in both the public and private sectors. I have been blessed to have been all around the table, and have been in the public and private sectors twice each during my career. I have built and managed consulting practices, as well as delivered IT solutions within corporations; I have seen the game from every angle. Prior to Brampton I spent a few years at one of Canada’s leading energy companies during deregulation, which taught me a lot about customer service…and about making sure you have the right people doing the right things within the enterprise.
Q. What have been the biggest challenges within your role and what have been the highlights thus far?
A. Most people might think technical challenges; I believe my biggest challenge is the same as for each municipal CIO in Canada: properly communicating IT’s value proposition to the corporation, council, senior management and staff. The highlights, I have to say, are the people. I work with and lead an awesome group of IT and customer service professionals. They are skilled at their craft and dedicated to serving the public. Within Brampton IT, we have breathed new life into the phrase “public servants” — we are actually the servants who serve the servants who are serving the public. And we do it with passion.
Q. The City of Brampton held its first web