Ireland’s ICT industry welcomes appointment of Govt CIO

15 Oct 2009

The IBEC group that represents the technology industry in Ireland said the appointment of a Government CIO is welcome but urged that the right individual is selected to take on this crucial role.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD said the new chief information officer (CIO) will report directly to him and will advise the Government on how to take a proactive, leading role in championing ICT innovation and development externally, as part of building a Smart Economy.

“The CIO will assist public-sector modernisation by driving changes to government business processes and implementing improvements in how government communicates with its citizens through ICT. And the CIO will take a cross-departmental and agency-leadership role in driving the e-government programme.

“This is a further expression of this Government’s commitment to the development of innovative ICT technology in Ireland,” Cowen said yesterday.

Welcoming the news of the impending appointment, ICT Ireland director Paul Sweetman said the greater use of information and communications technology (ICT) will be key to boosting Ireland’s competitiveness and generating employment.

“The announcement of the new role is a welcome recognition of the critical role that ICT will play in enhancing innovation, productivity and efficiencies in our economy. It is vital that the right individual is selected to take on this crucial role,” Sweetman said.

The ICT industry in Ireland is a major employer, with more than 100,000 people directly employed in multinationals alone and a further 200,000 in supporting businesses.

By John Kennedy

Photo: Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD has said the new chief information officer (CIO) will report directly to him.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com