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 optimisation, 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 over 200 private companies. Advisory work covers both business planning and also technology insight aligning IT potential and digital opportunity with the needs of the public sector. This support transformation, cyber readiness, risk control, efficiency and improved productivity.
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 Directorships
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
His NED experience covers higher education, the not-for-profit sector, professional membership association, central government and health.
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.
Student mentoring and coaching to assist with career planning, typically pro bono
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 is today a critical business continuity planning topic. CCL offers a level of public sector business-based cyber expertise that is exceptional in its depth and breadth:
Supporting public bodies as they develop cyber resilience 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, with a number of notable national publications.
Events and conferences
Jos is a recognised and sought-after speaker and facilitator. He chairs conferences, supports event organisers and designs tailored workshops. His control, focus, humour and insight ensures truly memorable and valuable events for clients:
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 keynote presentations at national and international events, including 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 organisational design
CCL is often asked to support IT recruitment campaigns, for permanent and interim positions at senior levels in IT and digital. This includes helping HR and recruitment agencies to select the right candidates to lead for digital change, helping with job design, remuneration packages, and governance:
Reviewing and reshaping IT departments to be ‘fit for the future’ in terms of leadership, structures, reporting, skills, policies, practices, governance, and performance management
Supporting specific recruitment programmes for senior leaders in IT (CTO, CIO, heads of IT, CDOs) – interim and permanen.
Interviewing, including ‘fireside chats’ to assess, technology and digital leadership capability with written reports on shortlisted candidates to ensure the best possible shortlist is brought forward for final interviews.
Advising on digital programme and reporting structures linked to related operational areas
Developing compelling candidate information packs and adverts, remuneration package design, and defining roles to attract the best possible candidates
Developing compelling candidate information packs, marketing, remuneration package design, and personalisation of roles to attract the best possible candidates to the role on offer
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 team members as well as CIOs
