Transformation Strategy

Discussion table

Learn from
Shelina Hargrove
Shelina Hargrove

Head of Digital, CICA

Co-Host

Shelina has been Head of Digital for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority - an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice - since November 2021. Her career has spanned roles across digital and policy in central government within Education, Transport, Business, Defence and the Home Office. She also spent time on secondment to a charity, working on social investment and impactful interventions. 
Before joining the Civil Service, Shelina worked in local government and the private sector. She also has a keen interest in diversity and inclusion, and has co-chaired a number of award-winning social mobility networks within government. 
Anna Wong
Anna Wong

Director of Digital Talent Development

Co-Host

Anna is a modern, gritty, digitally-driven executive in the public sector leading transformation in some of the most complex challenges of our times. As a first generation Chinese-Canadian, Anna is passionate about designing and delivering better government services so that more people can benefit from all that Canada has to offer. She lives for opportunities to build and empower teams to do good government - from scaling pilots to become products and services, simplying systems and structures, to raising the bar on digital literacy and business acumen.

Anna is currently the Director of Digital Talent Development at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat where is focused on developing and upskilling digital talent across the Government of Canada.

Some of Anna's past work highlights include being a founding member of the Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service where she focused on upskilling employees through problem-based learning and digital skills training in the areas of data, artificial intelligence/machine learning, design and DevOps. It also includes providing advice on an independent review to redesign the in-Canada asylum system to deliver better and faster decisions for those seeking Canada's protection, preparing the policy groundwork to enable the resettlement of over 40,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, and developing partnerships to deliver Canada’s National Homelessness Strategy.
Bella Copland
Bella Copland

Lead Strategist

Co-Host

Bella is a Lead Strategist at Kin + Carta. With a focus on operating model transformation and change management, she works with public sector organisations to help them transform through technology. She draws from a diverse background spanning health, local government, social care, policing and education, as well as from the private sector in retail, FMCG and financial services, with experience at PwC and KPMG. Bella's hands-on work in innovative start-ups complements her consultancy background, enabling her to facilitate impactful change and unlock the value of digital transformation for government departments.
About the session

Given the scale and complexity of governmental functions, a well-articulated transformation strategy is crucial for navigating challenges and ensuring success. How should we create a comprehensive vision of the desired future state, that addresses the specific challenges and opportunities of transformational change within an organisation, is accessible and comprehensible to the wider team? And how do we do all of the above in a living document that is sufficiently prescriptive to spur desired actions and achieve outcomes, while flexible enough to reflect changing circumstances?

  1. Change Management: The journey towards transformation often involves substantial changes in processes, systems, culture, and more. What are the key challenges in managing change during government transformation, and how can civil servants effectively navigate them?

  2. Stakeholder Engagement: Transformation Strategy is about people. Achieving transformational goals relies heavily on engaging stakeholders effectively.

  3. Agility in Execution: Government transformation often involves substantial uncertainty, requiring agility in strategy execution. However, traditional bureaucratic structures may not lend themselves well to such flexibility. How can agility be incorporated into government transformation strategies, and what might be the structural or cultural obstacles to this?