CIO Bootcamp Bios
Keynotes:
Donna Achimov, Vice-President, Individual Learning,Canada School of Public Service
Donna Achimov joined the Canada School of Public Service in July 2007 as Vice-President, Individual Learning and is responsible for learning programs which builds individual capacity so that public servants are able to perform in their current job and take on the challenges of their next job in a dynamic, bilingual environment.
Ms. Achimov joins the Canada School from Service Canada where she was the Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizen and Community Service Branch, responsible for developing service strategies which introduced new ways to bundle and deliver programs and services for Canadians. In addition, she was responsible for citizen research, community engagement and she championed the learning and accreditation of client service staff.
Before Service Canada, Ms. Achimov held a number of senior level positions where she was responsible for call centre operations and web services, notably 1800 O-Canada and the Government of Canada's website Canada.gc.ca.
Ms. Achimov is a graduate of the Carleton University School of Journalism. She has spent her career in the Government involved in communications, public dialogue and citizen service. She is active in her community and sits on a number of Boards including the Association of Professional Executives (APEX).
Marj Akerley, Executive Director, Organizational Readiness Office, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
An innovator, team motivator and dynamic proponent of change through collaborative technologies, Marj Akerley has recently accepted a new role where she is doing just that.
Marj recently became the Executive Director of the Organizational Readiness Office within the CIO Branch of the Treasury Board Secretariat, an organization committed to providing community development, collaboration and shared people management solutions. In this role, she works with organizations across the public service, embracing and optimizing culture change surrounding the use of social media and collaborative technologies. She will play a leading role in the evolution of the Government of Canada wiki (GCPEDIA) and the use of Web 2.0 in Government while continuing to support community development in the Information Management, Information Technology and Security Communities.
From 2005-2010, Marj was the Chief Information Officer at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). At NRCan, her leadership and dedication to finding innovative solutions to address their science-based knowledge needs resulted in the implementation of collaborative technologies, including the NRCan Resource Wiki, and initiated a cultural change in the way the department creates, shares and stores information. With a focus on increasing collaboration and integrating departmental knowledge, Marj developed a Collaborative Technologies Business Case for NRCan laying out a three-tiered plan to roll out a number of technologies over four years.
Marj has more than 30 years of information management and technology experience in the government and private sector. She holds an MBA from Queen's University and a Computer Science diploma from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. Marj resides in Ottawa with her husband and two children.
Pierre Boucher, A/Deputy Chief Information Officer
Pierre Boucher is Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Chief Information Officer Branch, at Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada. Prior to this, he was Executive Director for the Security and Identity Management division and was responsible for all aspects of Government Security including the Policy on Government Security and IT Security, Cyber Authentication and Identity Management. Previously, Mr. Boucher was Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture and Standards at the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada. Mr. Boucher joined the Treasury Board in November 2003 after nine years in the private sector, where he held positions with increasing responsibilities. He was Senior Director of Research and Development and Vice-President of Customer Service at Entrust. He was also Manager, Technical Services Group, Information Technology Security Branch, National Defence, where he was a leader in security architecture in a context of internetworking and the Department's increased liaising needs.
Mr. Boucher has previously worked at the Communications Security Establishment as Project Manager for the development of various security products. He obtained a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1985.
Léo Michel Bourdon, Leadership faculty Member Canada School of Public Service (CSPS)
Mr. Bourdon holds a bachelor of arts (Honours) degree, with specialization in History, a master's degree in History and a Licence in Civil Law from the University of Ottawa. He is a member of the Bar of Québec. He has attended the "The Leadership Educators Program" at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the "Creativity in Problem Solving" program at Synectics Inc. in Cambridge, Massachussetts. He is also certified to use the BarOn EQ-i emotional intelligence instrument and the 360 By Design feedback instrument.
Mr. Bourdon has taught leadership programs in several countries and has given speeches at several national and international conferences.
After practicing law briefly in Montréal, he joined in 1980 the Federal Public Service and worked with Energy, Mines and Resources (now Natural Resources Canada). Over the next several years, he assumed many positions with this Department including Director of the Coordination and Liaison Group (1985) and Director general, Strategic Policy and Planning (1987). In 1989, Mr. Bourdon became Director general, Strategic Policy Branch at Transport Canada.
In August 1993, he was appointed faculty member at CCMD, now known as CSPS. In 1996, he became the Director of the Executive Leadership (EL) Program, then the Leadership: Reflection and Action (LRA) a program he co-designed. Over the years, a few programs were added such as the Leading Transitions (LT) in 2000. In November 2008, Mr. Bourdon was voted "Best speaker of the conference" at the Moscow "Conference on Quality Assurance in Higher Education"
Peter Bruce, Chief Information Officer
Peter Bruce is the Chief Information Officer at the Information Systems Branch, at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Chief Information Officer Branch, at Treasury Board Canada. He was also the Chief Technology Officer for Library, Archives of Canada and LAC's lead for the Canada Project. He worked for the Government of Ontario from July 2000 to July 2002. While there, he worked with the Ministries of Education and Training, Colleges and Universities as well as at Management Board Secretariat. He has extensive experience with the Federal Public Service having worked in 11 departments over 25 years. This included positions as the CIO for the Federal Department of Justice from 1997 to 2000. His public service career has been focused on improving government programs, services and operations through effective use of information technology. Peter has a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from Queen's University.
Joseph L. Buckle, Chief Information Officer Chief Information Officer Sector Royal Canadian Mounted Police * National Headquarters
In January 2010, Joseph Buckle was appointed to the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the RCMP. In this position, Mr. Buckle works closely with CIO Sector Clients; RCMP Business Lines and senior management; and law enforcement and public safety partners to define information and technology solutions, priorities, and best practices. Mr. Buckle is committed to improving interoperability between the RCMP and the Canadian law enforcement community by driving an enterprise approach to IM/IT.
After successfully defending a Master thesis in Physical Chemistry, Mr. Buckle joined the RCMP in 1980 as a civilian member and received a two year understudy training in forensic science. He served as a Trace Evidence Examiner and presented court evidence in most provinces and territories in Canada.
He is recognized internationally as an expert in the field of forensic science and has worked with the European, Asian, Australian and North American forensic communities to develop databases and technology standards. In 2005 he was recognized for his contributions to public safety and was awarded the Public Service Outstanding Achievement Award by the Prime Minister of Canada.
Throughout his RCMP career he has occupied a number of senior positions including Director General, Forensic Science and Identification Services (FS&IS), Chief, National Police Services, and Director General, Canadian Firearms Program.
He is no stranger to leading the RCMP through organizational change and restructuring. In 2006 Mr. Buckle led the amalgamation of the RCMP's Information and Identification Services Directorate with the Forensic Laboratory Services to create the Forensic Science and Identification Directorate (FSIS). His experience in streamlining a service delivery models within FSIS will certainly help him to guide the CIO through the development of the Client Portfolio Management Group.
As a civilian member himself for 30 years, and a Senior Manager within Policing Support Services, Mr. Buckle has been known throughout the organization as a champion for civilian employees. He has provided leadership and motivation for civilian member (CM) employees across the organization to better understand their roles and navigate the various milestones of working in a policing organization. He is a strong advocate for the organization's CM and Public Service orientation programs and the continuous promotion of employee engagement and career enhancement opportunities.
Karen Cochrane, PMP Associate Partner
Karen is an Associate Partner with the Consulting and Deals practice in the Ottawa office of
PricewaterhouseCoopers. She focuses on the delivery of consulting services to clients
undertaking large-scale business transformation projects. She is a certified Project Management
Professional (PMP).
Karen has provided consulting services to the Canadian Federal Government over the last twenty
five years on various large-scale business initiatives. She specializes on back office services
particularly Compensation, Pension, IM/IT and Financial Management services. Karen and her
team provide project direction and oversight, strategic guidance and advice, business
architecture, business requirements analytics, project reviewer services and solution expertise.
Karen is a proven leader with strong interpersonal skills, skilled in team building and leading
major change initiatives. She possesses excellent analytical, verbal and written skills, and is a
dedicated and focused team player that thrives on challenging situations.
Karen is currently on the board of directors for Christie Lake Kids and leads their fund raising
committee. She is an avid reader, enjoys cycling and downhill skiing.
Ellen Corkery-Dooher, CMC Partner
Ellen Corkery-Dooher is a fluently bilingual partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and
leads our Ottawa-based Operational Effectiveness and Technology Consulting practice. Ellen
graduated from Carleton University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts (Highest Honours) in
Psychology and in 2001 received her Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation.
Ellen has national responsibilities for our Business Transformation line of business in the public
sector in all jurisdictions across Canada.
With over 24 years of experience, Ellen has worked with clients undertaking large business
transformations over the last 17 years, including program and corporate services renewal, the
implementation of new service delivery models and lines of business, business process redesign,
e-business, ERP and custom system implementations. She has worked at the Canada Revenue
Agency as an Ex -- IT.
Over her career, Ellen has specialized in project management, re-engineering, change
management, the improvement of business and support processes and organization renewal. She
has a strong approach to project governance and program management and has managed a
number of large scale multi-million dollar assignments on behalf of her clients. She has a
reputation for achieving annual cost reductions in operating budgets while implementing new
models in the front and back offices ranging from shared services, to outsourcing.
She and her team frequently undertake independent "health checks" for ongoing change
initiatives that range from $58M in size to over $200M. She has worked closely with CIOs to
review and assess their strategy and capability as they tackle today's new challenges and
continue to seek value from their IT spend.
Ellen is currently on the Executive of the Board of Christie Lake Kids and is involved in raising
funds for cancer and multiple sclerosis research. She is a member of the Human Resources
Professional Association of Canada, the International Coaching Federation and the SharedServices Network. She is an avid skier and runner.
David Nicholl, Corporate Chief Information and Information Technology Officer
David Nicholl was formally appointed Corporate Chief Information and Information Technology Officer on November 26, 2008.
Prior to that, he held the position of Corporate Chief of Infrastructure Technology Services, within the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, since February 2006. He was responsible for leading the establishment of the Government's new Infrastructure Technology Services (ITS) organization, establishing its business and service delivery model; and implementing key e-Ontario infrastructure consolidation projects.
Prior to joining ITS, David Nicholl was the Chief Information Officer at the Transportation I&IT Cluster (TC). David joined the TC in 2002, returning to the Ontario government where he worked as a programmer/analyst during the early 1980s.
Previous to the TC, David worked at Oasis Technology -- a leading global provider of Unix/NT-based ePayment systems to card associations and financial institutions - where he was Senior Vice-President of Global Consulting and Delivery. In this role, David was responsible for the delivery of the company's products to new customers and for the support and training of Oasis's approximately 150 clients in 70 countries.
David also spent seven years in Bermuda and the United Kingdom where he worked for HSBC (Bank of Bermuda) as Vice-President and Director of Information Technology. His responsibilities included the creation of a new IT strategy to support the introduction of an electronic servicing capability for the Bank's global customer base; the development of a resources plan to reduce IT operating costs, and the development and support of all business applications in a 7/24 environment. Previously, David worked at the Toronto Dominion Bank as a Systems/Project Manager.
Peter Poulin, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer of the Information Technology Branch
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) administers tax (excise, VAT, and direct taxation) and benefit programs on behalf of the federal and provincial governments of Canada. The computing infrastructure and applications that enable the processing of millions of transactions daily to collect roughly $370 billion annually and disburse $16 billion in benefits, is developed and maintained by its internal IT service provider, the Information Technology Branch. With a workforce of over 4,500 IT professionals Mr. Poulin is responsible for the largest IT organization in the Publc Service in Canada and provides support to 45,000 CRA and 15,000 Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employees at 390 sites across Canada.
As the Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer of the Information Technology Branch Mr. Poulin is responsible for developing and implementing CRA's Information Technology Strategy, managing the implementation, evolution and maintenance of software solutions to support program delivery, managing and operating the network and computing infrastructure and providing IT infrastructure services to CBSA. He previously occupied the position of Deputy Assistant-Commissioner of the Data and Infrastructure Management and as such was responsible for the provisioning of all IT infrastructure and security services for the CRA and CBSA and for all data services for the CRA. For several years prior to this, Mr. Poulin was head of all CRA applications as Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Solutions. During his 30 year career with the CRA he has also done extensive international consulting in tax and customs modernization.
The CRA continues to lead in government online service delivery expanding its secure online tax service presence from individual My Account services to include 3rd party authentication services for taxpayer representatives ("Represent a client"), successfully piloting a shared authentication service with Veterans Affairs Canada (Portageur) and continued expandsion of its My Business Account services. The Agency has also done extensive engineering in business intelligence and decision support solutions to support compliance and enforcement risk profiling, supports a broad suite of workload automation tools, and is engaged in a long-term business transformation initiative for its knowledge workers.
Bill Sayles, Senior Vice-president & Chief Information Officer
Bill Sayles joined TELUS in June 2008 as Senior Vice-president & Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for all aspects of TELUS' IT delivery including strategy, architecture, delivery and operations.
Previously Bill worked at Intel, where he held several progressive leadership roles across all aspects of IT, including both development and operations, since 1996. Most recently he was VP, Finance and Enterprise Services, and General Manager of Information Technology Core Systems Engineering.
Before joining Intel, Bill held engineering and management positions at Mentor Graphics, Tektronix and Automatic Data Processing. He received his Bachelor's degree from Portland State University and lives in Vancouver.
