Transform Gov - the digital government podcast

Maeve Kneafsey

Transform Gov, the digital government podcast, brings you top names behind many of the most exciting and transformative digital government projects globally. If you are working in, or with, public sector transformers who are digitising the public sector, each episode brings inside tips and insights from talented leaders who have been there and done that. www.digitalgovawards.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Aug 12

    What would you do with 10,000 extra public servants?

    For decades, Ireland has built its economic identity on being a knowledge economy: highly skilled, highly educated, and a magnet for global investment. Agentic AI is about to test whether that advantage still holds. Most conversations about AI start with cost – how do we do more with less? Audrey O'Mahony, Accenture's Head of Talent Reinvention for UKIA, argues that's the wrong starting point entirely. Her question instead: what would you do with 10,000 extra employees? Thinking capacity instead of cost-cutting changes what preparing for AI actually looks like. In Part 1 of this conversation, Audrey talks about what's at stake for Ireland if that knowledge-economy advantage slips, and why government and the public sector have a uniquely important role to play. As adopters of AI, but also as enablers of it across the wider economy. 🔹 The risk to Ireland's knowledge-economy advantage if AI readiness doesn't keep pace 🔹 The mindset shift — why "what would you do with 10,000 extra employees?" is a better question than "how do we cut costs?" 🔹 The public sector's dual role — adopting AI in its own services, and enabling AI readiness across the wider economy 🔹 The foundation — why agentic AI is only as good as the data sitting underneath it 🔹 The real driver of adoption — trust, not training modules Part 2 coming soon. 🎧 Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, brought to you in partnership with Accenture. 📅 The Ireland eGovernment Awards and Leadership Summit take place 24 September at O'Reilly Hall, UCD. Find out more at digitalgovawards.com #TransformGov #AI #FutureOfWork #Accenture #PublicSector Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    What would you do with 10,000 extra public servants?

  2. Aug 5

    Ireland’s new government CIO wants to end the form-filling groundhog day's

    Ireland's Government CIO Louise McKeever returns for part 2 to talk about what it actually takes to join up government services around citizens. Louise takes us inside: 🔹 Digital building blocks — the reusable infrastructure (gov.ie, e-forms, payments, messaging, a digital wallet) that means departments don't have to rebuild the same systems 🔹 Leading without authority — how you coordinate a whole government's worth of independently governed departmental CIOs toward one shared goal 🔹 Data as a national asset — and why citizen trust has to come before the benefits 🔹 Digital sovereignty — what "resilience and control" really means for Ireland during its EU presidency 🔹 Life events — how registering a birth, a bereavement, further education and social housing are being redesigned as one simple experience, hiding the departmental complexity behind them Missed Part 1? Catch Louise's earlier conversation on delivering Intreo and Agile at Scale in Irish government. 🎧 Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, brought to you in partnership with Accenture. 📅 The Ireland eGovernment Awards and Leadership Summit take place 24 September at O'Reilly Hall, UCD. Find out more at digitalgovawards.com #TransformGov #DigitalGovernment #PublicSector #GovTech #DigitalSovereignty Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Ireland’s new government CIO wants to end the form-filling groundhog day's

  3. Jul 29

    Three employment services became one. What happened next helped change Ireland’s Live Register from 17% to 10%.

    Louise McKeever started her civil service career as a clerical assistant in 1995. Today, she is the first woman to serve as Ireland’s Government CIO. In Part 1 of this conversation with TransformGov host Maeve Kneafsey, Louise takes us inside: 🔹 Intreo — how Community Welfare Services, Activation Services and Local Office operations were merged into a single case management model, integrating two commercial providers for the first time, in what may have been the first large-scale Agile programme in Irish government 🔹 Change management under pressure — bringing established specialists onto a new system by treating resistance as a concern for business continuity, not stubbornness 🔹 AI in government, before it was called that — using robotic process automation to clear COVID-era claims backlogs 🔹 AI with humans in control — an NLP tool flagging GDPR anomalies in farm applications, and a satellite-imagery compliance system for Common Agricultural Policy payments, with every payment-affecting decision made by a human officer 🔹 Her own path — from clerical assistant to first female CIO at the Department of Agriculture, to Ireland's first female Government CIO Part 2 coming soon. 🎧 TransformGov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, brought to you in partnership with Accenture. 📅 The Ireland eGovernment Awards and Leadership Summit take place 24 September at O'Reilly Hall, UCD. Find out more at digitalgovawards.com #TransformGov #DigitalGovernment #AI #PublicSector #GovTech #WomenInTech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Three employment services became one. What happened next helped change Ireland’s Live Register from 17% to 10%.

  4. Jul 22

    From CDs and Paper Files to AI and Drones: Inside An Garda Síochána’s Digital Transformation

    An Garda Síochána is replacing paper files, ageing technology and fragmented information with mobile devices, body-worn cameras, drones and carefully governed AI. But transforming one of Ireland’s largest and most complex public services is not simply a technology project. It means changing how thousands of Gardaí work — while protecting public trust, individual rights and the judgement of the officer on the ground. In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey goes straight to the source: Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, strategic lead for organised and serious crime at An Garda Síochána and a Garda officer with more than 30 years’ frontline experience. Angela explains: How information-led policing gives Gardaí vital context — including previous incidents, firearms risks and court orders — before they arrive at a callWhat happened at Dublin protests when body-worn cameras were introduced, and why behaviour appeared to change almost overnightWhy An Garda Síochána is replacing an interview-recording system that rely on CDs that are no longer being manufacturedHow frontline feedback forced the team to rethink and improve a major national investigation system during its rolloutWhere drones and AI could help Gardaí work faster and more safely — and where human judgement must remain firmly in controlWhy the hardest part of digital transformation is rarely the technology; it is earning the confidence of the people expected to use itThis is a candid and highly practical conversation about modernising a high-stakes public service without losing sight of the Gardaí doing the work — or the people they serve. 🎧Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture. 📅The Ireland eGovernment Awards and Leadership Summit take place on 24 September 2026 at O’Reilly Hall, UCD. Find out more at digitalgovawards.com. #TransformGov #DigitalGovernment #AnGardaSiochana #PublicSectorTransformation #GovTech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    From CDs and Paper Files to AI and Drones: Inside An Garda Síochána’s Digital Transformation

  5. Jul 14

    Why AI relies on human drivers

    Episode Highlights: Crisis Management: Maria's resilience was tested through the COVID crisis and the Ukrainian refugee crisis, where she played a pivotal role in managing the response efforts. Tune in to hear how she used "energy buckets" to build team resilience.Data Security Challenges: Discussing the ongoing data security issues faced by the HSE, Maria underscores the inevitability of cyber threats and the critical role of the CISO.Cross-Departmental Collaboration: The Ukrainian refugee crisis required seamless collaboration across multiple departments and organisations, including EY and Microsoft. Discover the complexities of aligning diverse teams to support refugees, such as ensuring access to cancer treatment centres.Managing Expectations: With a large stakeholder group, prioritising needs and managing expectations were crucial. Maria highlights the importance of plain English communication and open conversations to align everyone's efforts.AI in Healthcare: Maria emphasises that AI must be driven by clinicians to support healthcare effectively. She shares her involvement with Spunout, a charity using AI to support young people's mental health. She also tell us about the innovative Fastrack to IT apprenticeship program. 💡 Key Takeaways: The human element is the hardest and most important part of major projects, requiring honest communication and alignment.Data quality and governance are foundational for successful AI initiatives.The importance of practical education pathways, like tech apprenticeships, to bridge skills gaps and support lifelong learning. Join us as Maria McCann shares her invaluable experiences and insights into the world of digital transformation in government Find out more www.digitalgovawards.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Why AI relies on human drivers

  6. Jul 6

    Can AI help immigration services without making decisions?

    How do you redesign a public service used by people from almost every country in the world? In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Paul Rooney and Roshan Wijesinghe from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration about the Department’s digital contact centre for immigration services. This is a story about far more than technology. The Department was dealing with high volumes of applications, fragmented helpdesks, repeated queries, multiple languages, anxious users and staff under pressure. The response was not simply to “build a portal”. It was to redesign the service around users, staff, language, culture, trust and delivery. The conversation explores: Why the project was service-design-led, not technology-ledHow the Department moved towards a more joined-up applicant viewWhy translation is not the same as localisationHow plain English, tone of voice and visuals helped make the service easier to useHow personas helped the team understand both immigration applicants and internal staffHow Microsoft Dynamics, automation and AI-supported tools are helping staff manage information and queriesWhy AI is not being used to make immigration decisionsHow identity verification helped tackle appointment-booking abuseWhy business-led change management was criticalWhat other public sector teams can learn from the project For CIOs, digital leaders, service designers, customer service teams and anyone working on AI or transformation in the public sector, this is a practical look at what digital government really requires: clear purpose, better data, better communication, staff involvement and strong safeguards. Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture. Find out more at www.digitalgovawards.com Digital government, public sector transformation, Department of Justice, immigration services, AI in government, public sector AI, Microsoft Dynamics, digital contact centre, service design, multilingual services, digital identity, change management, GovTech, Ireland eGovernment Awards, Transform Gov, customer service, public service reform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Can AI help immigration services without making decisions?

  7. Jun 22

    Could virtual hospitals replace hospital visits?

    What if your next hospital appointment happened from your kitchen table? In Part 2 of Transform Gov, Professor Derek O'Keeffe explains how Ireland is using digital technology to rethink healthcare delivery — from remote islands to nursing homes, prisons and beyond. You'll hear how: *Patients can be monitored safely at home. *Chronic diseases can be managed before emergencies happen. *Virtual hospitals are reducing unnecessary admissions. *AI and robotics could become everyday healthcare tools. This isn't science fiction. It's already happening. Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture. Find out more about the Ireland eGovernment Leadership Summit and Awards at: www.digitalgovawards.com If you enjoy the episode, please like, subscribe and share. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:33 Why chronic disease is changing healthcare 04:49 Why hospitals aren't designed for chronic illness 07:24 The idea behind the virtual hospital 09:44 Monitoring patients at home 10:58 Virtual wards explained 15:20 The island healthcare project 17:06 Why islands became the perfect test bed 18:37 A patient, a ferry and lambing season 20:06 Scaling the project across Ireland 21:41 Nursing homes, prisons and remote care 24:23 International interest from Australia 25:21 AI, robotics and the future of healthcare 27:48 Why innovation requires resilience 29:02 Final thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Could virtual hospitals replace hospital visits?

  8. Jun 16

    Could drones deliver your medicine?

    What if the biggest challenge in healthcare wasn't medicine... ...but getting the right people to work together? In Part 1 of this fascinating conversation, Professor Derek O'Keeffe — consultant endocrinologist, engineer and founder of the Hive Lab at the University of Galway — explains why solving healthcare problems often starts outside the hospital. From delivering medicines by drone after Storm Ophelia, to creating smart connected medical devices and bringing engineers and clinicians together, this is a story about practical innovation that is already changing lives. In this episode: • Why Derek calls himself a "physicianeer" • Why healthcare is full of engineering problems • The remarkable drone medicine delivery project • Why regulation is often a bigger challenge than technology • The story behind the "digital stent" • Why the best innovations start with a real human problem This isn't a conversation about gadgets. It's about using technology to make public services work better. Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture. Find out more about this year's Leadership Summit and Awards at: www.digitalgovawards.com If you enjoy the episode, please like, subscribe and share. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:35 What is a "physicianeer"? 03:20 From engineering to medicine 05:12 Why healthcare is full of problems to solve 08:15 Why technology isn't the difficult part 10:48 "The technology is easy. The people are hard." 11:24 The idea that led to medicine delivery by drone 13:18 Aviation, pharmacy and regulation 16:05 Building the Hive Lab 18:42 Collaboration between engineers and clinicians 21:15 The digital stent project 24:10 The garden hose moment 26:40 Why innovation often stays in the drawer 28:50 Making technology work for people 31:00 Final thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Could drones deliver your medicine?
See All (82)

Trailer

About

Transform Gov, the digital government podcast, brings you top names behind many of the most exciting and transformative digital government projects globally. If you are working in, or with, public sector transformers who are digitising the public sector, each episode brings inside tips and insights from talented leaders who have been there and done that. www.digitalgovawards.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

You Might Also Like