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As global governments navigate complex challenges, the Research Innovation Council has been meeting regionally over the last six months to uncover emerging trends and transformative strategies.

This session will explore the Council’s key findings, showcasing the critical challenges governments face, the innovations driving progress, and how global collaboration is shaping the future of public service delivery.

• Examine key challenges impacting governments across regions.
• Explore breakthrough innovations and solutions identified by the Council.
• Discover opportunities for governments to adapt and evolve in a rapidly changing world.
• Gain insights into how governments are collaborating with academia, the private sector and other agencies and what it means for the future of governance.

As technology teams face growing complexity and rising expectations, public sector leaders must evolve their leadership approach to meet the moment. From talent development to ethical responsibility, today's leaders are being asked to do more—with greater impact and empathy.

This session will explore how to adapt leadership styles to meet the demands of dynamic tech environments and apply new approaches on how you can build resilient, inclusive, and high-performing teams across government.

• Achieve balance between innovation demands and team well-being
• Advance diversity and inclusion through purposeful leadership
• Improve your use of emotional intelligence to guide teams through uncertainty
• Optimize strategies for tech talent attraction and retention
• Champion ethical and responsible tech development in the public sector

Ott Velsberg

Chief Data Officer, Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, Government of Estonia

Alessandro Alves

Chief Information Officer, Government of Manitoba

Valerie Kelly

Director of Innovation and Transformation, Government of New Brunswick

Prof. Rita Orji

Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University

Darren Steeves Facilitator

Director Consulting Services, CGI

AI is evolving at a breakneck pace. It can be very hard to keep up with the latest developments in Generative AI, Agent Architectures, AI Frameworks/Tooling while trying to envision how to adopt it responsibly within the context of the public sector.

This session will take the audience through the evolution of Generative AI over the past few years and show how each phase of this evolutionary chain can be adopted for the public good.

• Break down the various Generative AI paradigms ranging from chatbots to agentic architectures
• Discuss how each paradigm can improve public service delivery and processes along with supporting technologies and adoption considerations
• Provide recommendations on how public sector organizations can accelerate their AI programs and the foundational investments needed to create long term sustainability

As public sector agencies pursue digital transformation, leaders are tasked with delivering innovation within highly structured, policy-driven environments. Navigating these complexities requires a strategic mindset that drives agility, resource efficiency, and cross-sector collaboration.

This session will explore how to lead digital change within regulatory frameworks and apply new approaches on how you can streamline processes, manage stakeholder relationships, and deliver long-term tech impact.

• Align digital initiatives with evolving governmental policies and mandates
• Adapt agile practices to modernize traditional bureaucratic workflows
• Balance innovation with compliance in high-stakes regulatory settings
• Optimize internal resources to increase delivery efficiency and effectiveness
• Improve vendor partnerships to accelerate public sector tech advancement

Wendy MacDermott

Chief Experience Officer, Department of Social Development, Government of New Brunswick

Stephanie LeBlanc

Senior Manager Information & Technology, Halifax Water

Corry Fitzgerald

NSH Provincial Director, Care Coordination Center (C3), Nova Scotia Health

Chris Melnick-MacDonald Facilitator

Director Consulting Expert, CGI

Roundtable 1: The Impact of AI on Public Sector and Health Leaders Facilitated by: Robyn Stewart, Director Business Consulting, CGI & Chris Melnick-MacDonald, Director Consulting Expert, CGI

Roundtable 2: Future Trends: Preparing for Digital Shifts Facilitated by: Gail Blight, VP, Client Revenue Operations, Ateko

Roundtable 3: Innovation and Creativity in Government Settings Facilitated by: Jody Lynch, Professional Services Leader – Provincial Government, Healthcare, and Education, AWS; Cathy Hawthorne, Account Lead Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, Head of Delivery NA, Kainos & Terry Bramwell, Partner, Davis Pier

Roundtable 4: Optimizing Every Cent: The True Total Cost of Mobile Technology Facilitated by: Shawn Winter, CCO and Partner, PiiComm Inc.

Roundtable 5: Reimagining Public Service in Uncertain Times: Navigating Transformation, Employee Adoption, and the Impact of AI Facilitated by: Raadhika Gopinath, Atlantic Lead for Management Consulting, KPMG Canada

Public sector transformation depends on leaders who can cut through complexity, align digital goals with policy, and inspire teams to think beyond legacy systems. The challenge lies in doing all this while staying compliant, managing vendors, and ensuring impact at every level.

This session will show how you can apply new approaches on how to lead with clarity and agility to drive efficient, compliant, and scalable tech outcomes.

• Align digital strategy with shifting policies and regulatory frameworks
• Embed agile thinking to reshape outdated public sector processes
• Manage resources strategically to maximize innovation and delivery
• Balance compliance with bold innovation in leadership decisions
• Strengthen vendor partnerships to enable smarter, faster technology adoption

Christopher Clissold

Chief Information Officer, Director General IT, IM Administration and Privacy, Department of Veterans Affairs, Government of Canada

Dorothy Eng

Chief Executive Officer, Code for Canada

Ryan MacNeil

Project Executive & Director, Digital Strategy & Governance, Department of Health and Wellness, Nova Scotia

Tobias J. Koch Facilitator

Partner, Director Consulting Expert, Public Sector and Digital Government, CGI