Local Government Data Standards Workshop

Paul Davidson

Director of Standards , iStandUK

Paul Davidson is Director of Standards at iStandUK, a programme hosted by Tameside. iStandUK’s mission is to “promote data standards for efficiency, transformation and transparency of local public services”. Paul worked for Sedgemoor District Council for 40 years; as the council’s Head of Information Systems, then Chief Information Officer, and now Chief Digital Officer.

Paul has represented Local Government to the to the Cabinet Office’s Chief Technology Officers’ Council, and in that role, has led teams developing national standards such as URI guidance, and Identity Management procedures. One of Paul’s current projects is SAVVI (Scalable Approach to Vulnerability via Interoperability), for which he is Product Owner.

Shelley Heckman

Deputy Director, iNetwork

Shelley Heckman is the Partnership Director at iNetwork, a local public sector partnership that supports the sharing of innovation and best practice from learned experience. She has worked in the public sector for 19 years, of which 15 years has been with iNetwork. Shelley wears many hats within iNetwork. She is currently the co-ordinator for the NW WARP, iNetwork's Effective Information Sharing & Security programme co-ordinator, and manages the iStandUK Programme. She won the Go ON NW Digital Leader Award in 2015 for her partnership work in supporting Digital Inclusion. Passionate about participatory group process, Shelley is a trained facilitator and trainer of participatory group facilitation with experience in community building in UK, USA and Tajikistan.

: shelleyheckman

Firoze Salim

Head of Frameworks & Standards (CDDO), Government Data Standards Authority

Firoze Salim is the head of Frameworks and Standards in the Data Strategy and Standards Directorate within the Central Digital and Data Office. His responsibilities include driving the work of the Data Standards Authority to improve cross government coordination around data standards to improve data interoperability. He is a career civil servant that has held different positions in a number of departments including developing legislation such as the data sharing provisions within the Digital Economy Act.

Emily Sullivan

Head of Product , Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)

Emily Sullivan is currently a Head of Product at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Emily Sullivan brings experience from previous roles at Nottinghamshire County Council, University of Derby and Derbyshire County Council.

Emily is an experienced Change Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the public sector, more specifically local government and the higher education industry. Skilled in Management and Leadership with demonstrable experience of strategic and performance management. She has strong programme and project management professional specialising in enterprise system management.