Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member XMA

Each month, techUK's Associate Director for Local Public Services, Georgina Maratheftis, interviews a member active in the local government space about their vision for the future of local public services and where digital can make a real difference to people and society. This month we talk with Terry Chana, Chief Technology Officer at XMA, about the role digital plays in delivering sustainable, people-first services that work smarter—not harder.

Welcome Terry. Firstly, tell me more about you, your career and how you got to this position today?

I didn’t take the usual route into tech—I started out as a sound engineer and ran a record label for a few years. But after getting married, I decided (well, my wife decided!) it was time to get a proper job. I moved into IT around 18 years ago.

I began in sales, as an account manager, before stepping into a strategic role managing vendor relationships across EMEA—Google being a key partner. That gave me a strong commercial grounding and taught me how to build partnerships that scale.

Over time, I moved into more technical roles—leading practices, driving consultancy engagements, and ultimately supporting digital transformation at scale. I joined XMA around six and a half years ago as a lead consultant and worked my way to CTO.

That blend of commercial and technical experience helps me connect vision with delivery—especially in local government, where it’s not about hype, it’s about making tech meaningful and manageable in the real world.

I’m also a member of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, which reflects my belief in professional standards and continuous learning.

What is the greatest opportunity for local government when it comes to digital?

Councils are dealing with rising demand, constrained budgets, and increasing complexity. But with the right digital strategy, they can shift from reactive firefighting to proactive, sustainable service delivery.

At XMA, we use a structured approach—Stabilise, Standardise, and Optimise—to help local authorities reduce operating costs and reinvest those savings into frontline services. Whether it’s automated testing across ERP and low-code platforms, introducing conversational AI for multilingual support, or incrementally modernising legacy services—small, high-impact moves add up fast.

And we place huge emphasis on Total Experience—because you can’t deliver great resident services if staff are stuck with slow, fragmented systems. Aligning digital tools for both residents and employees builds trust and unlocks time, money, and morale.

Digital transformation isn’t always about the big bang. Often, it’s the quiet revolutions—the well-placed upgrades—that deliver the biggest return.

What is your vision for the future of local public services and places?

I see a future where digital is simply part of how local government works—embedded, intuitive, and always evolving with community needs.

That means automation that frees up frontline staff, AI that spots issues before they escalate, and data used responsibly to personalise services without leaving anyone behind. Digital inclusion and accessibility aren’t side notes—they need to be built in from day one.

I’d also love to see more empowered local teams with better tools, so they can spend less time wrestling with systems and more time helping people.

Ultimately, I’ve always believed that tech should make life fairer and simpler. Whether it’s helping a resident access the right support without navigating red tape or equipping a council officer with real-time insights at their fingertips—it’s about making public services work better, for everyone.

And for me, it’s still about bringing the right pieces together to create something that works. These days it’s digital transformation instead of music—but the goal is the same: to create something that makes a difference.

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Meet the team

Alison Young

Associate Director Local Public Services, techUK

Ileana Lupsa

Programme Manager, Local Public Services and Nations and Regions, techUK

Tracy Modha

Programme Marketing Assistant for Public Sector Markets, techUK

Georgina Maratheftis

Associate Director, Local Public Services, techUK

Talking 5 with Local Public Services Member XMA

Welcome Terry. Firstly, tell me more about you, your career and how you got to this position today?

What is the greatest opportunity for local government when it comes to digital?

What is your vision for the future of local public services and places?