More than two years after the formation of the government’s profession stream for public servants in digital-related roles, Randall Brugeaud has signed off.
The former CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) and ABS chief operating officer took on the inaugural role as head of the APS’ digital profession stream in April 2020. He will be replaced by another DTA boss, Chris Fechner, from next January.
In a LinkedIn post, Brugeaud said he was proud of the work done to build the capabilities needed to deliver “world-class” government services.
“The digital profession is a community of people who share their ideas, showcase their work, solve problems together and explore best practices in service delivery.
“We’re helping to support people to build the skills and the networks they need to deliver great government services for all Australians,” Brugeaud said.
A community platform for network members to build their community went live last June, and later this year the government added members of its data profession stream.
The objective of joining the professional streams together was to seed more whole-of-government collaborations.
One of the almost 8,000 members of the APS digital profession network said that prior to joining the stream more than two years ago, they relied on Google searches and the limited knowledge of their peers to source industry-specific information.
“The digital profession is my go-to if I have a question, want to explore new ways of doing things, or want to find out how something has worked successfully in the past,” the public servant said.
“I now have access to quality information (some of which totally changed my thinking and approach) and have increased my network of those to whom I can reach out. I have built solid relationships with people that would previously have been inaccessible, and we are all eager to help each other out when required.”
Brugeaud noted the work of the professional stream had built digital capabilities on a global scale, with initiatives for coaching women in digital and executive management programs for women in IT. The professional stream has additionally recruited a group of Digital Trainee Mentors to support 1,000 government trainees over the next four years.
He also called out the growth of the professional stream’s emerging talent programs, which saw the network increase its intake of digital graduates, cadets and apprentices by more than 300% since 2021.
“As a person who entered the APS as a graduate way back in 1991, it’s wonderful to be part of so many people’s lives as they start their digital careers in government and support them as they develop and ultimately flourish,” Brugeaud said.
“People choose to work in the APS because they want to make a difference. You are helping us to build deep expertise which is making a difference in delivering the critical functions of government.”
Brugeaud will continue on as head of the Australian Simplified Trade System Taskforce.
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