Where are all the Rock Stars? – Data Analytics in the Public Sector

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The profession of data scientist was called “the sexiest job of the 21st century” by Harvard Business Review three years ago. Now they are referred to as the new “rock stars” of the business world.

What about this profession here in Canberra?

Analytics in the public sector is now identified by many Departments amongst their key initiatives in the short to mid term. In the US, President Obama’s 2016 Budget contains several initiatives designed to increase access to data and improve the Government’s evidence based decision making. Closer to home, the Department of PM and C have appointed a Deputy Secretary responsible for data policy, and the Commonwealth has appointed a committee of about twenty data champions.

Governments around Australia have built considerable data assets about their clients. Many are now very focused on using that data to encourage better service levels and much more ‘evidence based’ decision making. Technology continues to provide some of the answers with better analytical solutions, but what about the analysts themselves who are required to ask the questions, explore the possibilities, provide advice, do the numbers, write the recommendations etc etc? There are hundreds of new opportunities for this new generation of “numbers people”.

Come join us, and many members of Commonwealth Government “Data Champions” to learn more about this new opportunity for many of us in Canberra on December 15th at the Federal Golf Club at 12 noon.

Panellists

Registrations have closed

• Barry Sandison – Deputy Secretary Health & Information, Department of Human Services
  • As Deputy Secretary of Health and Information, Barry Sandison is responsible for providing leadership and management of health related programmes administered on behalf of the Department of Health and other agencies. The Deputy Secretary is also responsible for managing the strategic information management activities of the department.
• Professor Elanor Huntington, Dean, ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University

  Professor Elanor Huntington received her PhD in experimental quantum optics from the ANU in April 2000. From early 1999, she spent 18 months at the Defence Science and Technology Organisation working in science policy before taking a Lecturing position with the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy campus in Canberra in mid-2000. Since her return to academia Prof Huntington has been a full-time employee of UNSW at Canberra, and a teaching academic for the duration of that period. She was Head of the School of Engineering and Information Technology for four years until she returned to the ANU to become Dean of CECS in September 2014.

  Prof. Huntington’s research interest is in the area of experimental quantum optics, specialising in high-speed measurement, control, and generation of non-classical states for quantum technological applications; she is the author of several research publications and patents in this area. Prof Huntington is also program manager in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.

• Stephen Brobst, Global Chief Technology Officer, Teradata Corporation
  • Stephen Brobst is the chief technology officer (CTO) for Teradata Corporation. He is
    widely regarded as a leading expert in data warehousing and joined the Teradata
    team in October of 1999. Previously, Brobst successfully launched three start-up
    companies related to high-end database products and services in the data
    warehousing and e-business marketplaces: Tanning Technology Corporation (IPO on
    NASDAQ), NexTek Solutions (acquired by IBM) and Strategic Technologies & Systems
    (acquired by NCR). Read full Bio
• Mr Trevor Sutton, Deputy Australian Statistician leading the Statistical Business Transformation (SBT) Group, Australian Bureau of Statistics