Penna was delighted to host its first digital round table earlier this year. Charles Wilson, the commercial sector practice leader and myself – Penna's digital recruitment specialist – invited leaders from technology to discuss issues around creating a digital future.

The wise minds around the table looked at how the public sector working with the private sector can resolve the digital dilemmas of the day. Our guests came from central and local government, the NHS, the legal sector, as well as telecoms, consulting and industry. This made for a great debate on how we can drive the digital economy forward while avoiding the pitfalls of cyber and security fragility; digital exclusion; digital education; robots and AI and the impact on employment and wasted investment, as the technology develops and morphs, as well as privacy and citizens' rights.

The MJ's editor, Heather Jameson, chaired the event and there will be a more detailed write-up in an upcoming issue of the journal.

Penna's observations and lessons learned were around the appetite and willingness to co-operate, share ideas and exchange phone numbers to have follow-up conversations. There were several requests for a follow-up and an extension of the day to allow more intimate conversations and the exploration of narrow topics.

With Rishi Sunak, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government announcing in 2018 that £7.5m will be committed to help local authorities transform their processes and adopt better digital ways of working, digital and efficiency are front-of-mind as opportunities for councils and decision-makers.

Penna would like to thank all those who participated and made it a great event.

If you are interested in taking part in further events at Penna, email our marketing team and you will be kept up-to-date on our events agenda.

Jo Cumper is digital and ICT lead at Penna Recruitment Solutions

Jo.cumper@penna.com