How government can get social benefits payments right first time
Providing welfare payments and support to citizens is one of the key capabilities of government. The public sector needs a reliable, flexible and scalable way to make payment to individuals and companies – as was proven during the
The importance of this capability was demonstrated during the coronavirus crisis, when governments around the world needed to provide support payments to individuals and businesses.
However, many countries found that their existing systems were inadequate when the crisis hit, meaning that they had to quickly develop new systems. Doing so at pace increased the risk of fraud and error in these stimulus payments too, so creating systems that are flexible and adaptable to new demands can also make payments more secure.
This session brought together public servants to discuss how modern disbursement systems can be built that are robust to the pressures they face now – and in the future – and how modern welfare systems can be developed in a way that builds in security measures that reduces fraud and error at source and provides people with the benefits they are entitled to – correct first time and quickly.
Join this session to find out:
- The challenges of building more responsive benefits and payments systems in government, and how progress can be made.
- How government can embed systems to get the right money to the right person on time, and tackle fraud, error and debt.
- The potential for technology such as artificial intelligence in helping improve the efficiency and effectiveness of social benefits systems.
Panel
Lars Kirdan, Nordic Director of Business Development, SAS Institute
Lars Kirdan has more than 25 years of senior management and board experience from both the private and public sectors. He is since 2018 Nordic Director of Business Development at SAS Institute A/S.
He has among other things been Director of Business Development at Deloitte, University Director at Roskilde University, Administrative Officer at the European Commission in Bruxelles and Head of Section in The Ministry of Education and Research.
Lars Kirdan has been working on a sustainable welfare state throughout his career, including executive management, strategy, innovation, business development and research – specializing in the development new business models and modes of operation.
He has been focusing on Tax Authorities, Defense and Police / Public Security and has led development projects in Fraud Detection, Big Data / AI and ML, Financial Management and Customer Intelligence.
Lars Kirdan has a very strong network of public and private top executives. He is for the time holding 4 positions as chairman of the board r in both private companies and public organizations.
David Williams, Business Programs, Microsoft
A key member of Microsoft’s worldwide public sector business focused on solutions for intelligence, investigations and analysis. He is passionate about the application of technology to augment and assist the great people protecting citizens globally. He works closely with partners, field teams and customers to find solutions that support mission requirements. Prior to joining Microsoft, Dave spent 10 years in various roles in technology companies focused on intelligence, investigations, and data analytics. He has consulted on solutions and problem solving across the globe in the defense and intelligence space as well as law enforcement agencies at all levels. Dave also retired as a Major from the United States Army where he served for 24 years as an enlisted soldier, noncommissioned officer and commissioned officer in the Infantry, Signal and Civil Affairs branches.
Webinar chair: Siobhan Benita, Facilitator, Global Government Forum
Siobhan Benita was a senior civil servant with over 15 years’ Whitehall experience. She worked in many of the major delivery departments, including Transport, Environment, Health and Local Government. She also had senior roles at the heart of Government in the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, including supporting the then Cabinet Secretary, Lord O’Donnell to lead work on Civil Service reform and strategy. Siobhan left the Civil Service to run as an independent candidate in the Mayor of London election. She subsequently joined her alma mater, Warwick University as Chief Strategy Officer of Warwick in London and Co-Director of the Warwick Policy Lab.
