Services

With a deep understanding and experience of the practices, processes, policies and strategies in the public sector, CCL offers a tailored service to clients in both the public and private sectors.

Jos’s extensive experience helps him to align supplier technology service potential with the needs, pressures and priorities facing public service organisations, particularly local councils.

His strategic advice is targeted to support both public sector clients on their digital journey, and private businesses seeking to grow their UK and European public sector client base, profile and influence.

For private clients this typically includes areas such as product positioning and pilots, marketing campaigns and support, social media, and nurturing client engagement by running events and workshops. Jos also briefs and trains sales and marketing teams, helping them to develop capability in a complex market.

Recent engagements have included a variety of government agencies (central and local government), professional bodies (such as BCS, Socitm, CIPFA, PPMA, LGA) along with a wide range of private companies. Advisory work covers both business planning and also technology insight aligning IT potential and opportunity with the needs of the public sector, to transform, manage risks and to become more efficient.

With contacts spanning the UK public sector – CEOs, politicians, IT decision-makers, digital leaders, and CTOs – coupled with deep experience, Jos delivers practical advice, helping clients to better understand what is needed in this fast-changing sector.

Public sector advisory

CCL works with a wide range of public sector organisations including Local and Central Government, Police, Health, Education, and Charities, helping them to tackle the challenges of digital transformation whilst securing greater value from IT investments:

Supporting digital change programmes – from inception to design and delivery, including trouble-shooting challenges in contracts, technology implementation, structures and governance

As a recognised expert on developing successful shared services, partnership working, supplier engagement, CCL provides specialist advisor help in these areas, including outsourcing contracts, health and social care integration, ‘smart places’ and commercial models

Helping to reshape IT departments in terms of skills, capacity, policies, practice, governance and performance management. This includes recruitment services to build capacity and leadership

Helping to develop strategies – customer service, digital, IT and civic resilience planning. This includes assessing readiness for IT change, such as staff awareness, governance and risk management

Advising on technology trends for the public sector, including risk and opportunities, from AI and ML, to VR, IoT, cloud and RPA – demystifying and debunking the myths to support practical and effective IT adoption and investment planning

Working with elected politicians, CEOs and board level directors, helping to ensure strong corporate understanding, awareness of digital programmes, including the management of associate business risk.

Private sector advisory

As a trusted independent consultant, CCL connects public and private sector interests for mutual benefit, bringing insight, contacts and practical advice for the largest international companies to the smallest IT start-ups:

Providing in-depth and insightful market analyses, advice and ‘critical friend’ challenge. This includes assessing and overcoming obstacles in client engagements, solving complex problems and perceived or real barriers to sales, marketing and communications

Training briefings and mentoring sales teams – on a 1-1 basis and to sales teams over 1000 strong. This covers both general support, and is also designed to assist with specific bids and tendering opportunities, due diligence reviews, and client presentation of proposals

Designing and facilitating events and workshops that create a deeper understanding for clients of public sector needs and preferences. This can help to raise profile and brand awareness, creating new networking and relationship opportunities

Advising on marketing and product positioning, encompassing public sector procurement policy and processes. This includes specific market research and advice, such as product development and launch campaigns, use of GCloud and best methods to build relationships

Support for the development of pilot projects and proof of concept models. With an understanding of the public sector market segmentation and needs, this includes
advice on public sector procurement rules and models, including GCloud and internal procurement processes and policies

Writing whitepapers to support marketing and thought-leadership, demonstrating how technology solutions can be successfully deployed to solve public service challenges.

Non-executive Director

Jos has chaired NED boards, and been a member of Remuneration, Nominations, and ‘Risk and Audit’ committees, in every sector, typically in the area of cyber, IT and digital risk:

As an experienced non-exec director, supporting boards with critical challenge in areas such as digital transformation, information risk, cyber security and IT change

Having written published material on the role of an NED, and having been an NED for charities, professional bodies, private companies and government departments, he is able to support boards in reviewing NED roles and structures

Research and lecturing

Universities and professional bodies often require external digital expertise. CCL undertakes research, publications and lecturing, with UK and international universities and with professional membership bodies:

Preparation and delivery of whole lecture syllabuses on key topics such as digital marketing and cyber

Undertaking or contributing to research and investigation, supporting students and research leaders.

Support for programmes of work, contributing specific insights or workshop facilitation, often in areas of social impact of digital change

Detailed research and publications on a whole range of digital and technology topics of public sector interest, for agencies and professional bodies

Cyber planning

CCL offers a range of digital risk advisory services, including Cyber security, which has critical planning topic. CCL offers a level of public sector business-based cyber expertise that is exceptional in its depth and breadth:

Supporting councils as they develop cyber improvement plans, from technology to wider business continuity and civic contingency

Supporting IT departments to develop their skills and capacity for cyber security, including what should be expected of suppliers, in data management, systems controls and risk detection

As a non-exec director, with a cyber and digital risk remit, such as the Department of International Trade ‘Risk and Audit Committee’

As a writer and researcher, reviewing the changing landscape of technology threats, and advising the public sector on how to prepare for the future.

Events and conferences

Jos is a recognised and sought-after speaker and facilitator. He chairs conferences, supports event organisers and helps designs more intimate workshops. His control, focus, humour and insight ensures truly memorable and valuable events:

Skilled at chairing conferences and facilitating events, from major national and international IT conferences, to smaller roundtable events and business ‘conversations’. Audiences range from IT professionals to CEOs, politicians and professionals in areas such as Finance, HR and Procurement.

Delivering key note presentations at national and international events, typically launching the results of research programmes, giving insight and challenge, stimulating the start of an exciting conference

Bringing together IT suppliers and public sector clients for ‘closed doors’ investigation and discussion into topics of mutual interest, typically on complex technology topics that impact public service improvement

Assisting conference organisers and clients to design truly effective, enjoyable and memorable events, in terms of content and agenda, but also maximising the learning and insight that attendees and sponsors gain from attending

Recruitment and OD

CCL is often asked to support IT recruitment campaigns, for permanent and interim positions at senior levels. This includes HR and recruitment agency support for digital change, job design, remuneration advice:

Reviewing and reshaping IT departments to be ‘fit for the future’ in terms of leadership, structures, reporting, skills, policies, practices, governance, and performance management

Developing compelling candidate information packs, marketing, remuneration package design, and personalisation of roles to attract the best possible candidates to the role on offer

Supporting specific recruitment programmes for senior leaders in IT (CTO, CIO, heads of IT, CDOs) – interim and permanent, working with recruitment agents and specialists in HR in designing the campaign, adverts, job descriptions, testing, interview questions, and other materials

Interviewing, including ‘fireside chats’, technology capability assessment, technical interviews and assessment criteria to ensure the best possible shortlist is brought forward for final interviews. This includes written assessment reports on candidates

Coaching and mentoring

As a skilled and experienced digital and IT leader, Jos has coached and mentored many senior professionals at differing career levels, as well as more junior IT staff, such as apprentices and future IT leaders:

Support for CV drafting and presentation, interview preparation and career advice, in complete confidence, including advice for the use of social media including LinkedIn use to raise personal profile, credibility and awareness

How to build ‘reach and range’ of professional knowledge and awareness, through contacts, growing experience, and professional capacity.

Support for developing essential ‘softer’ skills for IT leaders, such as political awareness, business and communications skills, and wider external skills

Specific advice on how to tackle tackling specific issues and ‘blockers’ in career development, both personal and professional, and for teams members as well as CIOs