The Human Side to Digital Transformation: A CIO’s Perspective
Keynote Speaker: Catherine Desgagnés-Belzil
Monday, August 9 at 9:30 a.m.
Many view technology as the best way to transform an organization and stay up to date on the current trends. The desire to update technology is largely placed at the forefront of transformation which may not be the best approach. Over the years, while facilitating digital transformation for diverse organizations, Catherine has learned that to truly transform, organizations must go beyond technology and embrace the human elements of evolution.
Join us to take a deep dive into the impacts of today’s frantic pace of change, technological innovation, and the need for us, as human beings, to continuously learn and adapt to maintain relevancy. For it is the human being in all its forms– whether technologist, leader, citizen, theorist or practitioner – who brings about change and must place themselves in a learning mode to find a way to adapt and remain relevant.
About Catherine Desgagnés-Belzil
Holding of a bachelor’s degree in business computing from Quebec’s Laval University, Catherine Desgagnés-Belzil has managed to stand-out throughout her career in the field of information technology by her dynamism and determination.
Catherine joined the Quebec public sector in 2001 and since then, her career has been rich in various professional experiences and marked by a significant involvement in the field of information technology governance. She has been active for several years in structuring activities such as implementing effective enterprise architecture strategies, establishing project offices, developing organizational transformation strategies and providing strategic advice to senior management. In addition, Catherine has implemented and managed major business solutions, some of which play a key role in the delivery of public services to Quebec citizens. She is also actively involved in numerous initiatives in her industry, including those that promote the information technology sector and related careers, and more specifically, she is involved with organizations that promote and encourage the employment of women in IT, such as Le code des filles and Numérique au féminin.
For the past 10 years, Catherine has held strategic IT management positions in the Quebec public service. Most recently, she held the position of Vice President of Business Solutions at the Quebec’s government Shared Services before becoming Assistant deputy minister in charge of Digital Transformation for the Government of Quebec, during which time she set up the Quebec’s Digital Center of Excellence and deployed the government’s digital transformation plan. She then became Chief Information Officer of the Government of Quebec. In this role, she was responsible for the governance and management of information technology for the entire government. During this period, she developed and tabled the First Government Cybersecurity Policy and set up the Government Cyber Defence Center and the Government Cyber Defence Network to coordinate the cybersecurity efforts of Quebec public organizations.
Attracted by the challenge of the La Capitale/SSQ Insurance grouping, she left the public administration in 2020 to join Beneva. Today, as Executive Vice President and Leader – Business Performance and Information Technology, she is participating in the implementation of this new organization and contributing to the development of its DNA.
