Leading into Tomorrow

Innovation Unfolded is a Leading into Tomorrow miniseries exploring how innovation is sparked and embedded, and how focusing on a few key areas can unlock value across the public sector​.

In this episode, we look at how innovation can help governments tackle the high demand for, and cost of, infrastructure projects. Joining our host Tim Smith are Jonas Groes, Partner and Government and Public Sector Leader for EY Nordics; Chris Lewis, EY Global Infrastructure Leader, Government & Public Sector, and Mikkel Hemmingsen, CEO of the Danish state-owned company Sund & Bælt.

Listen in to discover why innovation sometimes means standardization, what we can learn from current wind, nuclear and tunnel projects, and much more.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Innovation Unfolded is a Leading into Tomorrow miniseries exploring how innovation is sparked and embedded, and how focusing on a few key areas can unlock value across the public sector​.

In this episode, Tim Smith leads a fascinating discussion on how innovating fast can help local governments in the UK to get upstream of citizen crises.

Connecting to unravel the topic are John Littlemore of Maidstone Borough Council, Alex Butler of Citizens Advice, and Helen Sunderland and Neil Sartorio, both from EY Local Public Services. The areas covered include the Council’s data-driven, early intervention approach to preventing homelessness; how Citizens Advice is increasing productivity; and the importance of trust when using data-driven technologies.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Innovation Unfolded is a Leading into Tomorrow miniseries exploring how innovation is sparked and embedded, and how focusing on a few key areas can unlock value across the public sector​.

In this episode, experts join host Tim Smith to unravel how innovation can help overcome workforce challenges, including rising citizen expectations and fierce competition for talent and skills.

Shalinder Bakshi, EY Global Government and Public Services People Advisory Services Leader, explains why identifying and developing core skills sets is crucial — but it’s not all about data and digital. And Pooja Warier Hamilton, Chief Partnerships Officer at Apolitical, highlights the need to allocate resources and drive a culture of ongoing learning to achieve goals.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Innovation Unfolded is a Leading into Tomorrow miniseries exploring how innovation is sparked and embedded, and how focusing on a few key areas can unlock value across the public sector​.

In this episode, experts join host Tim Smith to unravel how innovation can help governments to deliver intuitive digital services — without excluding citizens with disabilities, a lack of digital skills or other issues.

Sheena Thompson, EY UK&I Digital and Emerging Technology Leader, shares how governments have closed the divide while protecting citizen data. And Karl Hoods CBE, a Group Chief Digital and Information Officer for the UK government, explains why digital is just one of many answers to a systems-based problem.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Innovative, reliable and secure technology can help grant making organizations target the right people, track fund flow, spot fraud and waste and measure impact. But technology can only work if it’s part of a truly user-centric system, where grant administrators understand the needs and behaviors of recipients.

In our fourth episode of the series, host Tim Smith talks about how to harness the indisputable power of technology to improve grant management, with his guests Andrea Sampanis, Solutions and Services Lead, Grants Quality Service Management Office, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Amy Fenstermacher, EY Americas Grants and Relief Funds Management Leader.

Grants are the number one way the US federal government spends money, and grant making agencies are increasingly using technology to try to get the most out of every dollar — whether that is using the latest technology to increase automation to improve efficiency, or the continued use of “low-fi,” mobile phone-friendly technology to widen access to people who may not have computers.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Grant and relief fund programs operate in complex, dynamic ecosystems, with an ever-present risk of fraud, misallocation and waste. And nowhere is this truer than for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which annually oversees nearly US$5 billion worth of grant funding, across 140 countries, tackling urgent challenges in nature, climate, energy, chemicals and resources, with hundreds of active projects at any one time.

In this, our third episode of the series, host Tim Smith discusses how to address such complexity with Dr. Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Director and Executive Coordinator of Environmental Finance at the United Nations Development Programme, Maryam Hussain, EY International Fraud and Corruption Investigator, and Simon Inglis, Leader of the EY Grants and Relief Funding Management Team.

The UNDP manages the risks of fraud and corruption and tracks the impact of grant funding via a multilayered system, with several lines of defense and a clear escalation process. Agility of people and processes is vital to keep up with bad actors and monitor local and global trends. Each part of the process must be integrated, with shared data that gives grant administrators a single view of the truth — in close to real time.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Successful grants programs demand a relentless focus on outcomes. Grants administrators require evidence-based eligibility and swift reporting of results. Grant recipients, on the other hand, want to enjoy a smooth customer journey, where it’s easy to apply and where they’re paid promptly and accurately.

In the second episode of the series, host Tim Smith talks outcomes with Michael Cooper, Senior Civil Servant and Head of Defra’s (UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Group Grants Hub, and Matt Wilson, EY EMEIA Grants and Relief Funds Management Leader.

With over 120 grants schemes and highly complex policy objectives, Defra is determined to achieve a positive impact and give the UK taxpayer value for money, by allocating funds efficiently and tracking their performance.

Defra is looking to leverage exciting areas of innovation to increase the coverage and responsiveness of monitoring controls, and enable holistic data-led decision-making, while ensuring customer experience remains at the heart of their grant making approach.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

One of the biggest challenges in grant management is that the most critical targets of funding are hard-to-reach people in hard-to-reach places. This issue was particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, which put families and businesses under huge financial pressure. Governments and public sector agencies responded swiftly with aid packages but were concerned that the funds might not always reach those most in need.

In the first episode of the series, our host Tim Smith leads a discussion on efficient grant allocation with Steve Fussell, who was Chief Administrator, Office of Organizational Excellence, Seminole County Government in Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Amy Fenstermacher, EY Americas Grants and Relief Funds Management Leader.

In an unprecedented, hectic time, grant administrators needed to be agile, adjusting to changing demands and contexts. Transparency was a key goal to keep track of the flow of funds. Thanks to the heroic efforts of the Seminole County grants team, tens of millions of dollars of funding were successfully sent to individuals, families and small businesses, helping to keep them afloat.

Now, we look back at what we learned from this unique time, applying these lessons to the future of grant making.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In 2018, Cape Town faced the frightening prospect of “Day Zero” — the date on which there wouldn’t be enough water in the dams to supply fresh drinking water to its five million citizens.

For episode nine of The City Citizen, Geordin Hill-Lewis, the Mayor of Cape Town, tells Meghan Mills, EY Global Strategy and Operations Leader – Government and Public Sector, about the measures taken to avert the crisis. Also joining the conversation is Siham Salie-Abrahams, EY Western Cape Government and Infrastructure Leader.

A key measure was to engage citizens around the idea of Day Zero, which resulted in them cutting usage by more than 50% for over a year. Another was to improve pressure management, roll out smart meters and publish a weekly water dashboard that’s still popular today. The city’s next challenge? To generate 30% of its water needs from new sources by 2030 and continue to inspire other cities on the road to resilience.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Whilst, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Treasurer for the City of Toronto, Heather Taylor had a big vision — to embed ESG into the organization and life. In this episode, she tells Meghan Mills, EY Global Government & Public Sector Strategy & Operations Leader, about the importance of collaborating with stakeholders and being accountable for results.

Initiatives so far have included driving the city’s C40 Women4Climate Mentorship Program and joining up with city CFOs across Canada and the world. Toronto is also the first Canadian city to introduce a Social Sustainability framework and issue an annual ESG report. Together with initiatives to decarbonize transport, buildings and homes, Heather believes these create a template that other organizations can replicate. 

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

With its rich cultural heritage, beautiful surroundings and thriving industries, Port of Spain has a lot to offer residents and tourists alike. But even in idyllic locations like Trinidad and Tobago, capital cities have challenges to address ⏤ including how to transition to a smart, sustainable future.

In this episode, Port of Spain’s Mayor, Joel Martinez, describes how he’s rejuvenating the city by building on its strengths and increasing civic pride. He tells Meghan Mills, EY Strategy and Operations Leader – Government and Public Sector, about some of the innovative ideas the city has implemented. These include becoming a UNESCO Creative City in the field of music, and reclaiming an area that was previously a landfill site.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

For the last couple of decades, Warsaw has been facing challenges common to cities of its size, from climate change to social inclusion. More recently, its physical and cultural closeness to Ukraine has also put it on the front line of a migration crisis.

In this episode, the Deputy Mayor of Warsaw, Michał Olszewski, tells Meghan Mills, EY Strategy and Operations Leader – Government and Public Sector, about the initiatives used to tackle these challenges.  

The discussion shows that making a city a better place to live, work and invest is never easy. Switching energy sources requires more sophisticated skills, but possibly fewer (better-quality) jobs. And while securing funding to tackle the climate crisis can be straightforward, convincing citizens to change their behavior is an ongoing task.

That said, Michał believes the Polish capital has a key advantage in the global competition for talent and investment: an open society. The Mayor won the last election with the mandate “Warsaw for all,” and the city has integrated many Ukrainian refugees. 

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this fascinating episode, Mayor of Phoenix, Kate Gallego – one of the youngest, female big city mayors in the United States – explains that she is on a mission to turn Phoenix into the most sustainable desert city in the US.

She tells Meghan Mills, EY Global Strategy and Operations Leader – Government and Public Sector, that to do this as a growing desert community, they are focusing on water management and choosing building styles that suit the hot desert environment. They are also using solar power to generate electricity and pavement cooling technology as well as getting into green financing.

She explains to Meghan that, as a growing population, their focus is on tackling water shortages, access to water and other challenges like jobs and housing and ensuring the transit system can support their growing communities.

She also highlights that Phoenix is one of the leading emerging bioscience markets and is fast becoming a hub for the semi-conductor industry as well as a home to top companies and great entrepreneurs.

To ensure citizens can benefit from this kind of employment, they are upskilling and reskilling people, always with an aim to make these industries gender diverse. 

Technology and innovation are at the heart of everything Phoenix is doing. Now, when you arrive there, you can hail a “robotaxi” to take you to your destination.

And as they are hosts to the Super Bowl, which is broadcast in 130 countries, Kate believes it is the perfect chance for them to tell their transformation story to an international audience.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In the third episode of The City Citizen, Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, talks to Meghan Mills about realizing the opportunities of hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

In this episode, Adrian Schrinner, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, describes how the City Council collaborated across government to bid for, and start preparing to host, the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

He tells Meghan Mills, EY Global Strategy and Operations Leader – Government and Public Sector, how the challenges of being Australia’s fastest-growing regional capital drove the decision to bid for the Games. And he sets out how hosting them will help address those challenges, particularly the need for infrastructure investment.

Adrian and John Kimlin, EY Oceania Business Development Leader – Government and Health, describe the factors making Brisbane a great host city, from its diverse and friendly community to its stunning natural environment. Making the Games inclusive and climate-positive will be key to showcasing and protecting these characteristics.

Adrian also explains why he’s determined to make sure the Games provide opportunities for Australia’s First Nations people, as part of a wider process of reconciliation. And he describes the lasting impact of a successful Games on a smaller, less well-known city like Brisbane: more visitors and people who want to live and work in the city.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this fascinating discussion, Meghan Mills, EY Strategy and Operations Leader, Government and Public Sector, talks to two people brought together by the transformation of one city.

The first is Peter Danielsson, former Mayor of Helsingborg, Sweden. He describes how the city has invested in innovation and collaboration to find solutions to its challenges. 

The second, Gerald Babel-Sutter, is the co-founder and CEO of Urban Future. In 2022, Helsingborg played host to 3,000 attendees for Urban Future’s annual global event. And as a city that walks the walk on sustainability, Gerald sees it as a shining model for others to learn from.

During the conversation, Peter and Gerald identify the factors helping Helsingborg achieve its goal of being one of Europe’s most innovative cities. Peter outlines the importance of testing ideas on a smaller scale and learning from mistakes. Gerald comments on the strong collaborative spirit in the city, which has a Vision Fund to enable citizens and businesses create the transformation they want.

The pair also discuss the need for city leaders to build a firm foundation through an inspiring vision and clear, ambitious goals. On top of that, they need to promote a brave culture, build diverse teams and collaborate internally and across sectors to drive change. 

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this first episode, Asli Pasinli, CEO of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Turkey and Mehmet Gulez, (former) EY Turkey Innovation and Markets Leader, share their insights on how cities can become more sustainable places to live and work, in discussion with Meghan Mills, EY Global Strategy and Operations Leader, Government and Public Sector.

Asli was born and raised in Izmir, in the south of Turkey, but has spent most of her life in the vibrant Bosphorus city of Istanbul, home to 15 million people. Asli tells us how the WWF motto is to build a future where humans live in harmony with nature, echoing ideology from an old Turkish saying, “you cannot build happiness on someone else's misery.”

She shares her thoughts on the 15-minute city concept, technology and innovation as catalysts for change and the value of learning from other cities to accelerate climate transformation.

The conversation continues with a focus on the growing need for cities to create diverse ecosystems – involving startups, academia, citizens and the private sector – to solve the climate crisis. An example of this is explored through a project designed to tackle the business model problem of recycling in Turkish cities, one which also affects inclusiveness in the community, wealth distribution and economic sustainability.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this episode, Liam Middleton, Head of Critical Energy Infrastructure & Commercial Projects for the Scottish government, talks to presenter and reporter Kait Borsay about using citizen input, investment and innovation to deliver its Just Transition plan. He also shares exciting examples of innovation from around the country and highlights the transformative potential of hydrogen technologies.

Joining the discussion is Philip Milne, Partner, Corporate Finance, Government & Transport, Ernst & Young LLP, based in Scotland. Philip sets out Scotland’s advantages, including natural renewable resources and a highly skilled workforce, and explains why oil and gas will remain a key component of its green transition.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Access to affordable childcare is fundamental to a healthy economy and society. But with Americans spending 8% to 19% of their income on childcare, and employees leaving the industry in droves, governments need to be more innovative in connecting families with these services.

In this episode, presenter and reporter Kait Borsay explores how digital innovation can help. Her guests are Danielle Barnes, EY Americas Government and Public Sector Leader, and Justin Brown, Oklahoma Secretary of Human Services.

The conversation ranges from the “people plus digital” solutions states are deploying to transform childcare, to the priorities and philosophies that will allow them to deliver the best outcomes with limited resources. It shows that human services leaders are listening to families, empowering them to make their own decisions and helping to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this episode, presenter and reporter Kait Borsay leads a discussion on the huge value of tapping into neurodivergent talent for employees, employers, society and the world. Joining her are Hiren Shukla, EY Global and Americas Neuro-Diverse Center of Excellence Leader; John Leonard, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Trade at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and Rob Austin, Professor of Information Systems at Ivey Business School in Ontario, Canada.

Understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity have grown in recent years, but some organizations still view these efforts as charitable rather than what John calls “a mission enabler.” To combat this, our guests share positive examples from their own organizations, including faster hiring processes at CBP and the world’s largest neurodiversity model and program at EY. They also suggest ways to recognize, support and unlock the strengths of neurodiverse people, who make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Access to a quality education is important in every country. But, in India, it was a particular challenge with 260m school students speaking 1,700 languages. Using technology, the Government of India took an innovative approach to its education delivery to reduce the prevalence of learning poverty.

In this episode, presenter and reporter Kait Borsay explores how the Government of India created the world’s largest digital education platform, DIKSHA, to solve its unique challenge. Her guests are:

• Dr. Amarendra Behera, Joint Director, Central Institute of Education & Technology, National Council of Education Research and Training in the Ministry of Education, Government of India
• Shabnam Sinha, Lead Education Specialist at the World Bank in India
• Shankar Maruwada, Co-founder and CEO at EkStep Foundation in Bangalore

The conversation explores how the platform has enabled student learning and teacher training in 30 languages by providing access to education materials through a portal, mobile app, radio and television, while also collecting 1.1b learning outcomes through assessments.

The DIKSHA initiative has been so successful, the World Bank is seeking to embed the digital public good in a number of African countries to help them meet their education goals.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Public sector organizations globally need people with digital, data and technology skills to deliver value and meet the expectations of citizens. Yet the UK government alone has 4,000 vacancies.

In this episode, our host, presenter and reporter Kait Borsay discusses how to close the digital skills gap with Thomas Beautyman, Deputy Director, Government Digital Capability at the UK Cabinet Office. Also sharing their insights are Josie Cluer, Partner, People Advisory Services, Ernst & Young LLP, and Arnauld Bertrand, EY Global Government & Public Sector Consulting Leader.

All three speakers agree that the need for digital skills extends to every public sector role. But with everyone competing for the same talent, organizations should focus on upskilling and re-skilling the people they already have — across all roles and levels.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Cloud technologies enable governments to digitally transform at speed and scale. In this episode, our host, presenter and reporter Kait Borsay discusses their game-changing power with Andrea Tonci, EY Europe West Digital & Emerging Technologies Leader, and Arnauld Bertrand, EY Global & Public Sector Consulting Leader.

During the conversation, Andrea and Arnauld discuss some of the better-known benefits of cloud for governments, such as cost savings, and Andrea shares what he believes to be the biggest benefit of all: the ability to streamline processes for businesses and citizens.

They also describe some of the different cloud strategies they have encountered, and how governments are building both consistency and resilience into those strategies. Part of that discussion is the perennial issue of data privacy and security, along with the role of legislation and keeping citizens’ needs at the center of transformation.

Finally, Arnauld describes the challenges facing governments that want to reap the full rewards of cloud, which includes upskilling civil servants.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this episode, Angela Gibson describes how she’s helping the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) tackle the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has left in its wake. Joining her for the discussion are Oliver Jones, EY Global SaT Sustainability Leader, Global BD and Markets and Insights Leader, and Josh Colle, Senior Vice President, Cities, Transit and Infrastructure at EY Canada.

Angela reveals that, in Toronto, rider numbers plunged by 80% during the pandemic, but stayed at around 50% on the bus network. Based on this finding, the TTC has successfully piloted a rapid transit bus system for a traditionally underserved area. And it’s looking at improving the customer experience to “romance” people into returning to its services.

The pandemic also started an important conversation around how ridership shouldn’t be the only measure of success. Public transit is, in fact, one of many tools for helping cities to build communities and improve lives.

The TTC is embracing this thinking by using a constant focus on the customer, including the experience of diverse groups, to help deliver a better system for everyone. It’s also bringing strategy back to the fore, so it can take a multiyear approach to innovating for a net-zero future.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In this episode, Ian Thomas CBE discusses leading through difficult times with Oly Jones, EY-Parthenon’s global leader for the Government and Public Sector, and Helen Sunderland, Partner, Local Public Services, EY UK&I.

Currently Chief Executive of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Ian shares how a coaching and mentoring leadership approach, trust and a no-blame culture can help public sector leaders to overcome their biggest challenges. And he uses his experience of transforming the Children’s and Young People’s Services at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to illustrate his points.

Ian describes how he and his colleagues recognized the system’s strengths, then created the conditions to turn the service around – from building strong relationships with families to ensuring psychological safety for staff. Putting a “relentless focus on practice quality” was also key, as was using sports psychology to develop a winning mindset.

Helen observes that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown local governments how data can help them to break down silos and take a proactive approach to outreach. It’s also been a great leveler, enabling colleagues to connect and grow.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

In the second episode of our series, Tim Hume, Chief Information Officer at Macquarie University, reveals how being “frank and fearless” can help the sector overcome challenges and realize opportunities.

In this episode of Leading into Tomorrow, Chief Information Officer (CIO) Tim Hume shares how he delivered a digital vision, strategy and road map for improving the student experience at Macquarie University in a collaborative way.

Tim also gives lots of practical advice during his chat with Oly Jones, EY-Parthenon Global Government & Public Sector Leader, and Catherine Friday, EY Global Education Lead. This includes the importance of partnering with organizations (public or private) that have delivered projects on a similar scale.

Catherine observes that while some providers are integrating digital into parts of their strategies, Macquarie University is unique for putting digital enablement at the heart of its future. It’s also a leader in placing students at the center of the design, which both she and Tim see as crucial to success.

If you’d like to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the higher education sector in more detail, EY has published a new report: Are universities of the past still the future? With interviews from education leaders in India, Singapore, the UK, the US and Oceania, it looks at the changes that are starting to reshape the higher education landscape. It posits five plausible “what if?” scenario questions that every university leader should consider to chart a course from present to future with greater confidence and clarity. Read more about the universities of the future. 

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.

Chan Cheow Hoe took up the post as Singapore’s Government Chief Digital Technology Officer in 2017, a time when many governments were weighed down by “tech debt.” Legacy systems were outdated, big projects were failing, user dissatisfaction was high and there were issues with cybersecurity.

Four years on, according to its positioning statement, the Singapore government is “digital to the core and serves with a heart.”

In this episode, Cheow Hoe tells Oly Jones, EY-Parthenon Global Government & Public Sector Leader, and Ben Chiang, EY Asean Government & Public Sector Leader, how he achieved this transformation.

Cheow Hoe describes how he brought about a shift to an outside-in mindset, and the importance of understanding that citizens want a seamless experience. He then explains how he moved from an outsourcing model to an in-house team of 1,000 tech engineers and an innovation culture that emulates Silicon Valley.

Ben Chiang highlights the need to have the trust of citizens and a strong relationship with the private sector to co-create solutions and deliver transformation projects. And he explains how governments can earn that trust one project at a time.

The series is available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and PodBean.