Session: The Sunderland Way - a route to achieving digital inclusion
Tom Baker will discuss where Sunderland has come from as winner of the Digital Challenge, the lessons that have been learned and the work that has taken place across the city to achieve a digitally enabled Sunderland. He will talk about next steps and how the work will set a foundation to support others across the country in achieving the same goal. He will set the scene for partnership working, facilitating communities and sharing best practice, a route which has become known as 'The Sunderland Way'.
Biography
Tom Baker, Head of ICT, Sunderland City Council
Tom graduated from the University of Nottingham in 1999 and started work at Sema Group, a large European based Systems Integrator, working initially in a technical capacity as an Oracle DBA. He then moved into contract and service management and was responsible for implementing a number of enhancements to Eurostar’s ticketing system, creating a deal with Unipart that saw the first implementation of mySAP ERP 2004 in the UK, and was part of the team that sold the Avantix mobile ticketing system to Virgin Trains.
Tom then went onto to manage the transformational Outsource at VOSA, worth nearly £200m over the contract term. This was one of the largest UK accounts at Atos Origin (the company who acquired Sema Group). This challenge required the integration of two overarching bespoke business systems and demonstrated to Tom the necessity to ensure complete ICT alignment with the business.
At the end of his Atos Origin career as Delivery Director, Tom was involved in the companies largest contract win to date with the Highways Agency. This was achieved by beating the likes of HP, LogicaCMG, Fujitsu and others.
In 2008 Tom took up the post of Head of ICT with Mouchel on its Middlesbrough contract. His team looked to transform the underpinning ICT infrastructure by, building a new data centre, implementing DR, virtualising the entire server base and implementing a new wide area network. This programme required multi-million pound investment but was necessary to ensure further developments such as mobile working and future development of both corporate and directorate strategies. In addition, Tom played a lead role in the development of web strategies, carefully managing implementation by ensuring a focus on change management and business engagement as well as enabling technology. Tom’s approach and success in Middlesbrough has seen him tasked with group wide strategies notably working with Lincolnshire and Oldham Councils.
In September 2009 Tom joined Sunderland City Council as Head of ICT, and is looking forward to working with the ICT and Print teams, getting quickly up to speed and working together to ensure the best possible delivery to the Council and to the people of Sunderland.
