Tell us about yourself?
I live on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula with my husband, two children and Great Dane/Mastiff Cross, Lex. I have led information management (IM) and governance (IG) programs in various industries for over 20 years, including development of data and information strategy and frameworks and implementation of enterprise IM and IG programs. I have had the opportunity over the years to learn various disciplines including change and project management, risk and compliance management and in recent years have been learning about the discipline of Business Architecture and how it can be used support strategic planning and inform the programs I lead.
What led you into the world of Information Governance (IG)?
When I was in high school I wanted to be a physiotherapist. During work experience in year 11 I ended up being the patient, nearly fainting while helping the physio with a patient. That and other incidents when visiting hospitals made me rethink my career path. A lecturer from Deakin Uni visited my school and introduced me to a new Bachelor of Applied Science course they had recently developed in Information Management. Fast forward 30 years and I have never regretted the decision to undertake this course and do further studies completing my Master of Business (Information Innovation) in 2002 at RMIT. I have had the opportunity to work and live in London and Sydney, however the majority of my working life has been spent in Melbourne leading information management and governance capability uplift in organisations including BHP Billiton, Telstra, Port of Melbourne, APA Group, Victoria Police and Holmesglen Institute.
Tell us about your current role in IG?
I recently joined a mid-sized Not-for-Profit organisation and am in the process of establishing their information management and governance function. This is a new role for the organisation and I am excited to have the opportunity to build capability across the data, information and knowledge management domains in order to continuously improve the services we provide to our customers. As the nominated Privacy Officer I also have the opportunity to ensure appropriate information security controls are embedded within the organisation. The Victorian Protective Data Security Framework is a great resource for any organisation wanting to uplift their information security posture.
What pressures are organisations facing to ensure IG best practices?
Increasing expectations from customers to ensure their information is accurate and secure and their experience when using an organisation’s services is consistent and competent is a key driver. As Government increasingly outsources services to third party organisations, those organisations are required to demonstrate compliance to relevant industry and regulatory standards, including the ability to demonstrate appropriate information governance of the data they are managing on the Government’s behalf. Business cases which can demonstrate how IG can enable the organisation to do more with less will also be more likely to succeed due to the ongoing need to drive operational costs lower.
What are the biggest developments you have seen in the IG?
One of the most important developments driving change within organisations is the establishment of data and information governance functions and roles both within the analytics domain and the overall information management domain. The establishment of information governance roles demonstrates the increasing importance of this function for an organisation to address information risk and increase information value.
Do you have any tips for someone starting out in IG?
When planning the implementation of an Information Governance program consider what the desired state is from a people, processes, information and technology perspective. All of these elements need to be addressed as part of a program of work if you want to create sustainable change.
Keep growing and sharpening the tools in your toolbox – change and project management, risk and compliance management are just some of the domains worthy of pursuit and are all enablers of an IG program / function.
With the rapidly evolving technologies and digital disruption, where do you see IG heading in the next few years?
I am hopeful that increasing access to quality data sets as well as increasing collaboration between Government and industry will have a significant impact on the ability to effectively use, manage and share data and information to help inform solutions to significant problems the world is facing.
Why is it important to be a member of InfoGovANZ ?
There has been a lot of great work done in IG, however with much more to be done InfoGovANZ provides the thought leadership and creates a space for this wonderful network of passionate people to grow their share their experience. I find it challenging to keep up with legal and regulatory changes and appreciate the valuable insights that Susan and her team provide.
