Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed former Google chief financial officer Patrick Pichette chief executive officer of the new federal organization Digital Transformation Canada, which focuses on implementing digital solutions simplifying access to government support and services.
Digital Transformation Canada was launched on Thursday September 3 under the umbrella of Joël Lightbound, minister of government transformation, public works and procurement. It combines Shared Services Canada with certain Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Employment and Social Development Canada functions – particularly the Canadian Digital Service.
The organization will prioritize the following:
- scaling shared solutions across government to limit duplication and operating expenses
- providing public servants with modern, secure tools to lighten administrative loads
- applying the federal government’s purchasing power to the testing, scaling and commercialization of new technology by Canadian digital and artificial intelligence companies
Digital Transformation Canada will implement a fellowship model to recruit private sector experts for short-term government assignments, such as in advanced AI and dynamic digital fields. The model will be centered on transferring knowledge, developing the public service’s technical capacity, commercial expertise, and ability to address, secure, and implement new technology responsibly.
The organization will seek to improve the use of emerging technologies like AI, bolster digital sovereignty and security, and enhance the federal services experience for Canadians. Moreover, it will aim to boost efficiency and help departments execute core programs and services.
“By modernising public service delivery, reducing duplication, and supporting the growth of Canadian technology firms, we will strengthen our economy, improve outcomes for Canadians, and position Canada to lead in the digital age,” Carney said in a statement. “The addition of Patrick Pichette will bring world-class expertise in digital transformation, innovation, and organisational change to help advance this crucial work.”
Pichette served as Google’s CFO over 2008-2015. He supported the development of the Alphabet structure and helped lead the tech giant’s growth agenda.
Moreover, he contributed to Google’s corporate mergers and acquisitions agenda as a member of the executive committee. Before Twitter was sold in 2022, he chaired its board of directors.
Pichette brings over 30 years of finance, technology, and corporate leadership experience; moreover, he was a Rhodes Scholar who held senior executive roles at Bell Canada, McKinsey, and Sprint Canada. He has worked with startups and innovation networks like Arctoris, LabGenius, and Creative Destruction Labs as an independent investor, advisor, and board member.
He helmed the London-based European office of venture capital firm Inovia Capital, which invested in promising Canadian tech companies.