Sam Shah

We chat to Sam Shah; Director of Digital Development at NHS England, and part of NHSX - a new unit driving forward the digital transformation of health and social care.

Starting his professional life as a clinician, Sam chats to us about his experiences in the health service and what inspired him to take special interest in technology. We hear about his work in the private sector, where he learned from how the retail, banking, and communications sectors tackled common issues around digitisation.

We talk about Sam’s passion for public health, and improving outcomes for patients by focusing on what matters to users. Sam shares his thoughts on the value of service design in policymaking, and the importance of influencing he mechanisms behind public services.

Finally, we hear what happened behind the scenes after Kylie challenged the requirements on an NHS job description, and why Sam was so determined to help the health service be as inclusive as possible!

We chat to Molly Watt, Accessibility and Usability Consultant at Sigma.

Molly has Usher Syndrome, a genetic condition that leads to deaf blindness, which she developed at a young age. We hear from Molly about her experiences of school as someone with accessibility needs, and the challenges she experienced with inaccessible ways of teaching. We get an insight into her trip to Apple HQ in Cupertino, and why this inspired her to pursue a career in accessibility consultancy.

We learn about the importance of inclusive design in web services, and why people need to stop associating accessibility with disability. Molly shares her passion for helping people, and we hear how the Molly Watt Trust charity is helping many people with usher syndrome to access the technology they need.

An must listen for anyone designing and delivering inclusive public services!

We chat to Julia Salasky, founder and CEO at CrowdJustice; a crowd funding platform working to democratise justice by helping people access the courts and the legal system. 

A graduate of prestigious universities, and a former “magic circle” lawyer, Julia tells us about why she decided to leave her enviable career as a lawyer for the United Nations to found her own tech startup. We how her experiences working in the justice system inspired her to do something radically different, in using technology to disrupt the traditional market.

We hear what it was like to be a pregnant solo female founder, and how Julia embraced this as as asset in working with investors. Julia shares her thoughts on diverse hiring and on tackling the underrepresentation  in the legal sector. Finally, we find out whether working in law really is like being in Ally McBeal!

We chat to Vimla Appadoo, Service Designer at FutureGov and organiser of SheSaysManchester. A rising young star in the U.K digital and technology sector, Vim is passionate about the tech for good agenda and bringing user-centred services to the forefront of public sector innovation.

We hear about Vim founding her consultancy at the age of 21, and discuss the disparity in how young men and women experience their early careers. We explore the application of service design methodologies in government and why it's important to be conscious of power and privilege.

And finally, we take inspiration from hip hop legend 2Pac and grime artist Stormzy, and hear about Vim's adventures in boxing and powerlifting. An energising start to your weekend!

We chat to Aimee Whitcroft, Open Data Establishment Lead at the New Zealand Transport Agency, and co-founder of GovWorks NZ. Beginning her career in science and academia, we hear about Aimee’s passion for knowledge and continual learning.

With an impressive energy for side hustles, we chat about Aimee’s many community projects including organising open source meet-ups, government hacks, and Nerd Nite events. An advocate of ethical and human-centred technology, we discuss what it means to embed kindness in our smart cities, and rebalance societal power structures.

And finally, Aimee shares an amazing story of how she became one of the first women to drive the full 11,000 miles of the Mongol Rally - what better way to start off your weekend than with inspiration for adventure!

We chat to Areeq Chowdhury, founder of WebRoots Democracy and Head of Think Tank for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology at Future Advocacy.

Beginning his career in U.K. government and Parliament, we hear what inspired Areeq to found his think tank WebRoots Democracy at the age of 21. Areeq shares his expertise on the topic of online voting, and argues for the urgency of engaging the modern generation of voters in political participation.

We discuss the role of technology, social media, and artificial intelligence in shaping recent elections, and how the balance of power is shifted towards the individual by providing independent and secret means to vote. Areeq also highlights the role of accessibility in providing fair and inclusive access to democracy.

Finally, we get Areeq’s thoughts on what he would change about U.K. parliament, and add AOC to our official OneTeamGov drinking game. MLF, you’ve got company!

We chat to Cate McLaurin, Head of Delivery at Hackney Council in London, U.K, about her role bringing public sector reformists together to deliver public services with users at the heart.

Beginning her career in marketing and communications, we explore why those skillsets are so valuable and translatable into user-led service delivery roles. Cate talks about her 14 years as a job-share, and we discuss how everyone can benefit from more flexible ways of working.

Leading the OneTeamGov within local government in the U.K, we hear about Cate's experiences leading a large ICT department and the evolution towards agile ways of working. Cate shares the challenges of growing a digital team in such a competitive market, and explains how Hackney are developing the next wave of talent through their apprenticeships team.

Finally, we chat about all things governance, and get excited for Cate hosting the first ever OneTeamGov bureaucracy hack on the 3rd of July! Check out our website for more details on how you can get involved: 

Welcome to our OneTeamGov Mother’s Day special episode! We chat to Halcyon Hamilton, former senior manager at Cafcass children’s services in England...and also Kamala’s mum!

Our longest standing public servant to date, Halcyon has been on the frontline of social work and children’s services for 40 years. We hear about how she got started in the sector, and what it was like to operate in such challenging situations whilst balancing her own family life.

Halcyon shares stories of her longstanding career in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), and we get her reflections on what it means to be a good leader delivering critical frontline services. 

We chat about Halcyon’s extremely active retirement life - successfully becoming part of her local judiciary and attending tribunals as an expert adviser. We learn about the Soroptimists, a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls. And finally, we hear stories of Halcyon’s volunteering on the Colchester SOS bus, the local fourth emergency service.

With all of these incredible achievements, it’s easy to see how Kamala was inspired to be a public servant!

We chat to James Plunkett, Executive Director at Citizens Advice, a U.K. charity that helps 20 million people every year facing times of uncertainty.

James shares his experiences working at Number 10 Downing Street during the Gordon Brown era, and explains the fascinating dynamics of power in the U.K. political system. We talk about his time influencing public policy in a number of leading think tanks, and how the debate on living standards and low pay was driven by the use of data and analysis.

We also discuss the history of Citizens Advice founded the World War era, and how the values of the institution have managed to persist through to the present day organisation. James shares his thoughts on the evolution of user-centred service delivery, accessibility and inclusion, universal basic income, and the concept of charity as a platform. An inspiring listen for anyone looking to join the Tech for Good movement!

We chat to Aya Chebbi, the first Youth Envoy for the African Union. Recently voted one of the world's top 20 most influential young people in government, Aya first became known for her online activism, running the Proudly Tunisian blog during the Tunisian Revolution in 2010/11.

Now the first Youth Envoy for the African Union, Aya is championing the voice of young people and underrepresented groups as part of Agenda 2063. We chat to Aya about her efforts supporting thousands of social movement leaders, feminist groups, and youth activists on blogging, mobilisation, and non-violence.

We get Aya's thoughts on privilege and power in the internet age, and why digital inclusion is so important. We also hear Aya's reflections on mental health, authentic leadership, and being your radical self. A truly inspirational listen!