GX Talks:

Leadership
Dialogues
Delivering public services in a post
pandemic world
Leadership lessons and experiences from
changemakers
Summary of the GX Talks virtual session held in collaboration with the
Center for Security in Politics at the Goldman School of Public Policy,
University of California at Berkeley, USA

April
April2021
2021

In Collaboration with Knowledge Partners

Introduction

The world has completely changed in the last few months. We all are witness to history
being made. The future of digital enablement, sustainability, and continuous improvement
in terms of how governments across the world deliver services to their citizens and
businesses, may not look like what we had foreseen sometime back.

Digital technologies are revolutionizing the way people live, work and interact, and have
the potential to transform government services to better serve their citizens and
communities. Digitalization was happening, but now it is happening much faster.

To reflect upon this and more, GX Talks brought together three illustrious global
thought leaders and practitioners to talk about what they have done, lessons they
have learnt, what they are planning to do and how they are thinking ahead to make
the lives of people better than they were yesterday. This report provides a summary
of the discussion and captures the key insights from the session.

GX Talks is a unique initiative of collaboration run by the Emirates Government Service

Excellence Program at the Prime Minister’s Office of the United Arab Emirates. This special
session called ‘Leadership Dialogues’ was conducted in collaboration with the Center for
Security in Politics at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at
Berkeley, USA.

Summary Insights
The pandemic has inspired people to try
new technology and the adoption curves
are going to be much steeper than before
the pandemic.
Re-evaluation of supply chains is needed
to ensure medical equipment, like PPE and
vaccines, are available.
It is important for leaders to imagine
different scenarios, even the worst-case
scenarios.
Governments have to design products that
work for the entire population.
Services that are difficult to access will
affect customer trust and confidence in
the government.
Government can be a bridge, connecting
technology providers and the services
required.

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Panelists

Janet Napolitano Kate Gallego

Former Secretary of Mayor, City of Phoenix,
Homeland Security, Arizona, USA
USA

Moderator
HE Mohamed Bin Dr. Jonathan
Taliah Reichental
Chief of Government CEO, Human Future
Services, Government Former CIO, City of
of UAE Palo Alto, USA

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PA N E L I ST P R O F I L E S

Janet Napolitano is a Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC
Berkeley. She served as the twentieth president of the University of California, the nation’s largest
public research university with ten campuses, five medical centers, three affiliated national
laboratories, and a statewide agriculture and natural resources program. Prior to joining the
University of California, Professor Napolitano served as Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009
to 2013. She is a former two-term Governor of Arizona, a former Attorney General of Arizona, and a
former U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. In 2019, Napolitano published How Safe Are We?
Homeland Security Since 9/11. Professor Napolitano earned her B.S. degree, summa cum laude, in
Political Science from Santa Clara University, and her J.D. from the University of Virginia. She is
based in Berkeley, CA.

Kate Gallego is the Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, the 5th largest city in the nation. In November 2020,
she was returned to office by the highest number votes ever cast for a mayoral candidate in
Phoenix. Mayor Gallego is the second elected female Mayor in Phoenix history and one of the
youngest big city Mayors in the United States. She graduated from Harvard University and earned
an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Before being
elected to Phoenix City Council, Mayor Gallego worked on Economic Development for local utility
company, Salt River Project.

Mayor Gallego has focused on three key policy areas during her time in office: diversifying the
economy, strengthening infrastructure investment, and working to make Phoenix a leader in
sustainability. The year 2020 saw a significant addition to that list: ensuring the public health is
protecting by adhering to the evolving science around the COVID-19 virus. Her record of proven
results includes leading the campaign to pass Phoenix’s citywide transportation plan through 2050,
which was the largest local government commitment to transportation infrastructure in the
country when it passed in 2015. She has led efforts on criminal justice reform and ensuring equal
pay for equal work. Mayor Gallego is passionate about building a Phoenix that works for everyone
and improving the quality of life for all Phoenicians.

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PA N E L I ST P R O F I L E S

His Excellency Mohamed Bin Taliah is the Chief of Government Services of the United Arab
Emirates Government, and the Assistant Director General for Government Services Sector at the
Prime Minister’s Office in the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, where he oversees the Emirates
Government Service Excellence Program aiming to raise the efficacy of government services by
focusing on customers and enhancing government efficiency. He also oversees Khadamati system
and the Best M-Government Award, an international annual award aiming to motivate government
agencies and students to create innovative solutions in the field of smart phone applications,
mobile phones and wearable smart devices.

Mohamed served in several managerial positions in both public and private sectors for more than
16 years in the field of IT, Cyber Security and governance. He worked as the Chief Support Services
Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Abu Dhabi Media Company, and was a Member of
the Board of Directors at United Printing and Publishing. He also worked with Emirates Global
Aluminium Company at the Program Management Office and Governance, where he led the
development of the governance framework and risk management in IT sector. He developed a
Cyber Security program and implemented the security surveillance of the industrial control system
and critical infrastructure. In addition, he managed the Information Security Department at
Thuraya Telecommunications Company, where he was in charge of the development and
implementation of cyber security controls and information protection on the international
communication and satellite networks. From 2014 to 2019, Mohamed served as the Assistant
Director General for Corporate Services Sector at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Ministry of
Cabinet Affairs, where he oversaw developing strategic projects and initiatives in the Sector as well
as cultivating a corporate culture aiming to achieve efficiency and excellence in the Prime
Minister’s Office.

Mohamed holds an executive management degree in leadership and management from MIT Sloan
School of Management, a M.Sc. degree in Project Management from the British University in Dubai,
and a B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Jonathan Reichental is the founder of Human Future, a global business and technology
advisory, investment, and education firm. Previous roles have included senior software
engineering manager, director of technology innovation, and he has served as chief information
officer at both O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, California.

In 2013 he was recognized as one of the 25 doers, dreamers, and drivers in government in America.
In 2016, he was named a top influential CIO in the United States and in 2017, he was named one of
the top 100 CIOs in the world. He has also won a best CIO in Silicon Valley award and a national IT
leadership prize. Reichental is a recognized global thought leader on a number of emerging trends
including urban innovation, smart cities, sustainability, blockchain technology, data governance,
the fourth industrial revolution, and digital transformation.

He holds several degrees including a Ph.D. in Information Systems. He is an adjunct professor in

the School of Management at the University of San Francisco and instructs at several other
universities. Reichental regularly creates online video courses for LinkedIn Learning. He is a
popular global keynote speaker and writer, including authoring a bestseller on the future of cities.

5
Key Questions Addressed

What were some of the most important lessons learned from the COVID19
pandemic?

What technologies are you most excited about and see emerging during
the pandemic?

Why should engaging with public service providers be any less modern
and experiential than engaging with tech giants?

What are some of the bureaucratic inefficiencies you’re trying to eliminate

as you deliver services to your citizens?

How can we have ordinary citizens stepping up to transform local and

federal governments to modern digital times?

Where do you think you can bring digitalization and make a difference?

...and more

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KEY INSIGHTS
LESSONS LEARNED
What were some of the most important lessons learned
from the COVID19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wakeup call for
governments. The topmost learning has been
public health - having adequate medical supplies
and increasing awareness. It reminded us of the
intersection between health and economics, and
the future of our cities and nations.
Janet Napolitano in her 2019 book “How Safe Are
We? Homeland Security Since 9/11”, talked about
the need for us to confront the real risks and not
perceived ones, and pandemics were on her list.
She warned that we remained ill-prepared for
pandemics and learning from mistakes is too
rare in government. For her, the key lessons learnt
from the COVID-19 pandemic are: the
importance of clear science-based communication
with people on public health; re-evaluation of
supply chains to ensure medical equipment, like
“What we are finding is that
countries that took health
seriously are coming back
economically stronger. People
are willing to rejoin the economy
when they feel safe doing so.”
| Kate Gallego
PPE and vaccines, are readily available, and lastly,
the need to re-evaluate the structure of medical
care. Janet believes that health systems, at least as
seen in the United States, are still fragile and can
easily be overwhelmed when a surge in people
needing intensive care arises.
Mohamed Bin Taliah also believes that we should
focus on health care systems and public
awareness, and that the pandemic has been a
“wakeup call” for all. Investments are made in
health care systems; however, not enough
importance is given at the level it deserves, a case
not just in the Middle East but all around the globe.
In the United Arab Emirates, much effort has been
placed in raising public awareness to deal with the
pandemic. This has also enabled healthier
practices across communities and industries.
Kate Gallego finds mental health becoming
increasingly important. “Our system was not great
to begin with… we saw huge challenges. More
young people who are struggling.” One of her
largest investments in Phoenix has been in a new
mental health program.
But on a positive note, 2020 has made new things
politically possible. Kate finds the world much
smaller, where it is easier to collaborate with
leaders across the globe in ways not done before.
She was able to convene with mayors from
different countries and learned lessons from
Chinese mayors on how they responded to the
pandemic, and also learned about success stories
from Korea on how they invested in testing that
made their communities safer. This inspired her to
put more emphasis on testing in Phoenix.
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KEY INSIGHTS
LESSONS LEARNED
Looking at what is happening broadly across
governments, it seems that the current push to modernize
government technology has been focused on the delivery
of government services through digitalization and other
related technology practices. What technologies are you
most excited about and see emerging during the
pandemic?
Kate has witnessed great success in both service centers have now been completely
investments in new technology as well as in the transformed to digital platforms. Investors are also
adoption of existing ones. The pandemic has more willing to be part of the digital experience.
inspired people to try technology, and the
adoption curves are going to be much steeper than Realistically, and based on her experiences as the
before the pandemic. Secretary of Homeland Security for the United
States, Janet believes it is important for leaders to
Phoenix is one of the fastest growing cities in the imagine different scenarios, even the worst-case
United States, primarily led by high construction scenarios. For instance, to the extent we become
activities. Before the pandemic, 25% of the digitally dependent, what happens if there is
construction permits were online, but now at least a denial of service or ransomware attack, and those
75% are online, with investments continuing to services become unavailable? Do we have a back-
grow. Kate is inspired to invest in many emerging up in mind? “We should not suffer from a failure of
technologies, including for instance construction imagination, particularly where security issues are
inspections done through mobile apps. concerned.”

Policy has also been very important, where privacy

and law enforcement in her community have been “It is important for leaders to
seriously talked about, including focusing on
imagine different scenarios, even
acceptable error rates.
the worst-case scenarios.”
Mohamed found the pandemic to be an enabler to
learn more about customer experiences and their
interaction with technology. “We listened to the
customers and learned how we can better serve
them.” The key turning points for the United Arab
Emirates has been the adoption of digital
signatures and certificates. Today, customers are
more willing to sign documents digitally than
before. The government has also invested in
technologies such as blockchain to transform
| Janet Napolitano
physical, cumbersome processes, such as notary
public and certification services, into online,
efficient ones. About 50% of federal government

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KEY INSIGHTS
CHALLENGES
As IT gets consumerized, tech innovators (like Airbnb, Uber
and Amazon) are molding the community and
expectations. But governments at all levels are not
necessarily keeping up. Why should engaging with public
service providers be any less modern and experiential than
engaging with tech giants? Are we expecting too much
from governments?
Kate believes it is certainly important to have high For instance, in her community’s mental health
standards, but we also need to know that we have program, information is produced for people who
different goals in the government than those of the have high intellectual understanding, along with
private sector. Governments have to serve the content, primarily visuals, for people with lower
entire population which tends to be more diverse literacy. “We take on some of the most essential
than the customer base of tech giants, like Spotify. decisions. Often if a service is easy to provide, we
In Phoenix, the government serves people who leave it to the private sector. But when something is
speak many different languages, with varying difficult or expensive, we will ask the government
literacy levels. So, governments have to design to step up.”
products that work for an entire population.

How can public service delivery, like issuing a passport and

license, build credibility and trust among citizens in a post-
pandemic world?
Government services serve an important role in
building trust with the public. Mohamed suggests
that services that are difficult to access will affect
customer trust and confidence in the government.
The United Arab Emirates promotes proactive
services – where customer needs are met even
before they are requested, and services are
initiated on behalf of the customer. One such
example that was brought up, is the driver's
license.
“We know when it (the driver's license) is expiring
and whether the customer would like to renew it,
so we initiate the service on behalf of the customer.
All the customer needs to say is “yes” and we
deliver the driver's license at their door step.” The
UAE government is now working on transforming a
lot of other services to be proactive, efficient,
completely digital, and meet customer needs.

How can ordinary citizens can step up to help transform

local and federal governments in these digital times?

Janet strongly believes the concept of citizen
participation leads to a healthier country. There are
a number of ways citizens can contribute, including
engaging in the political process – participating as
party members, running for office, or helping other
candidates. They can also help non-profit
organizations that provide social services, such as
food banks. At a minimum, citizens can stay
informed and make sure their decisions are based
on facts.

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7
KEY INSIGHTS
S O LU T I O N S

What are some of the bureaucratic inefficiencies that you

have been focused on, where do you think you can bring
digitalization and make a difference?
Kate is focused on leveraging technology to get
people to places that can solve their problems. For
instance in the case of public trash management,
“You can download an app, report the trash and we
will figure out who is responsible… Very effective in
helping break down silos.”
She believes through digital connectivity, the city
government can also address problems that are
not traditionally under their mandate, by
connecting people to the solution provider. Kate
also strongly supports digital documentation to
make processes efficient and timely.

The Cabinet in the United Arab Emirates recently approved

the new UAE government services strategy for the next 5
years. What are the essential themes and tenets of this
strategy?

Mohamed affirmed that the pivot of the strategy is
human and digital first - to design services
delivered digitally with humans in mind. Much
emphasis is also placed on involving the customer
in the design process of services. He mentioned
that for a number of years we have been engaging
the customers, from college students to the elderly,
through workshops to know their expectations
from services and government.
The other focus of the strategy is increasing
efficiency. This will be achieved by reducing
duplication of efforts through cross-collaboration
between government bodies, as well as through
digital platforms that are built to allow customers
to interact seamlessly with all government entities.
Future technology is another crucial arm of the
strategy, using Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain
and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to
proactively serve customers. Finally, Mohamed
concluded again with the human first aspect,
highlighting that customer feedback is of utmost
importance, and digital channels are in place to
collect their feedback to improve services.

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KEY INSIGHTS
FUTURE
What is your vision for the usage of technology in
government service delivery in the next 5 to 10 years and
beyond?
One of the things Kate hopes the government will
do well is try to connect people who are great at
technology and able to solve a wider variety of
problems. Governments can play an important role
in connecting and facilitating academia, venture
capitalists and creative minds to solve problems
the entire community is facing. “I also hope that we
can help use technology solutions to serve
the entire community – quick adopters as well as
slow adopters of technology.”
What advice do you have for innovative technology
companies?
Mohamed foresees that government services will
not only be delivered by the government, but also
through third party, private sector partners. He also
stressed on leveraging other technology solutions,
Janet also strongly advocates that government can
be a bridge, connecting technology providers and
the services required. She hopes that broadband is
evenly distributed and accessible across the
country. “In the next 5 years, broadband should be
considered an essential service in the United
States.”
like digital assistants, that customers readily have
access to and that can potentially enable them to
get services faster.
“Many users rely on digital
assistants like Alexa and Siri.
Governments can leverage these
(technologies) and bring
customers closer to the solution”
| Mohamed Bin Taliah
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KEY INSIGHTS
MOVING FORWARD

What would be one piece of advice for city and country

leaders who want to make a difference in delivering
services over the next few years?
Kate strongly believes that so many great ideas
that have led to innovative transformation have
come from cities. “Cities are the laboratory of
innovation.... Just because no one has done it
before doesn’t mean it's not worth doing. I would
take the leap if I were a city leader with a good
idea…”
Janet stressed upon the imperative importance of
beginning with a basic premise - start with the
customer in mind. She also emphasized the need
for leaders to give time to thinking and imagining.
Leaders should not be constrained with what has
happened, but rather with what is to be done and
ask, “what if?” questions:
What if I could get access to city services by
talking to Alexa or Siri?
What if we got rid of all paper in the
government?
What if we had universal access to broadband
and 5G, what more could we do with those
capabilities?

“Allowing oneself time to think

and imagine will empower even
better leadership.”

| Janet Napolitano

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Acknowledgements

This report has been prepared by a team (including Rafi-uddin Shikoh, Reem El Shafaki and Iman Ali
Liaqat) from DinarStandard. Inputs were drawn from the discussion between the panelists during the
session, as well as contributions made by Chetan Choudhury from the Prime Minister’s Office in the UAE,
and Dr. Jonathan Reichental, the moderator for the discussion. For more information on GX Talks, please
contact Chetan Choudhury at GXtalks@pmo.gov.ae

GX Talks is a dialogue series created and hosted by the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE. GX Talks unites
government decision-makers, global practitioners and renowned innovators to re-examine and re-define
government experience for the future. Find many more engaging GX Talks at https://gxtalks.com/

Government Experience (GX) is a new global framework for government service excellence created by the
Emirates Government Service Excellence Program (EGSEP) at the UAE Prime Minister’s Office. GX is about
optimizing government service experiences and going upstream to serve customers with intuitive,
intelligent and delightful services, and uniting global practitioners and innovators to do so. To find out
more about GX, please visit the Government Experience portal at https://gx.ae/, a global platform,
established to share knowledge, enable interaction and activate ideas on government services.

The Emirates Government Services Excellence Program was launched in 2011, in line with the vision of the
UAE to be one of the best countries in the world by the year 2021. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched the
program in order to raise the efficiency of government services to a seven-star level, by focusing on
customer centricity and enhancing government efficiency.

This report can be found online at:

http://bit.ly/GXTalks-LeadershipDialogues1

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