Brenda Aynsley, Chair IFIP IP3, Global Authority in ICT

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Brenda Aynsley.

Brenda Aynsley FACS CP, Honorary Life Member ACS

Qualifications
• Computer Professional
• Graduate Diploma of Applied Science - Computing
• Diploma of Social Sciences
• Bachelor of Arts
• Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training
• Certificate IV in Security Risk Management

Professional Interests
• The application of professional standards to workplace activity
• eLearning instructional design and content development, assessment and evaluation
• Change management
• Relationship development (communications) with internal and external clients
• Suitable use of appropriate technologies in the workplace
• Security risk management

Achievements
Project and Change Management achievements:
• Successful project management and team building within ACS groups as VP and as Branch Chairman
• 2002 Adelaide ACS Conference Chairman - a highly successful project stretching over 2 years and managed by volunteers with support from a professional conference organiser and marketing company
• Successful implementation of national projects including the ACS Certification Program (work in progress)
  
  Professional Development and Training achievements:
• Promoting the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA) as the underpinning framework for PD offerings in ACS events and courses
• Evaluating PD offerings each month in the ACS PD Program against SFIA level 5 and level 3
• Short course development, administration and delivery
• ACS Certified Professional Education Program 2009 revision of Business, Legal and Ethics module
• Professional Year Program development and student coordination against the SFIA framework
• Development and delivery of successful road show model in Freedom of Information training in regions
• Training aids and support material development
  
  Client relationships:
• Established contacts in early 1992 which still endure today within the ICT industry
• Implemented a customer support system and customer service focus amongst staff
• Maintained long term client relationships
• Negotiated and gaining agreement on the data set items and a commitment to collect data by participants in national program involving federal and state governments
• Negotiated ongoing commitment of funds from the Commonwealth to a State administered program

Honorary Positions
Office Bearer for national and state based organisations since 1993 including:
• Chairman and Board member IFIP International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) (www.ipthree.org)
• Fellow and Honorary Life Member Australian Computer Society (www.acs.org.au)
• Chairman SA Committee — The Pearcey Foundation (www.pearcey.org.au)
• Life Member Electronic Frontiers Australia (www.efa.org.au)

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

The latest blog on the interview can be found in the IT Managers Connection (IMC) forum where you can provide your comments in an interactive dialogue.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdnitmanagers/

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic
:00:23:		Brenda, thank you for sharing your deep experiences with our audience. "....It's my pleasure and thank you Stephen for inviting me to speak with you today...."
:00:40:		Brenda, can you profile your education and work history and provide a defining and usable lesson you wish to share from each major event and role in your history? "....I have enjoyed several careers in my work life, all of them to do with communications; communications of the sort that involves talking and listening....Lessons learned: A day without learning is a day wasted....Work smarter not harder....Whatever you do, you must be passionate about it....Respect and responsibility are vital to succeeding at university, because as an adult learner your success was almost entirely in your own hand....A university education is as valid a form of learning as is a vocational education course...."
:04:45:		You are on the international program committee, chairing sessions, and speaking at the UN-founded IFIP World Computing Congress (WCC2012: September 24-26). What are your objectives at IFIP WCC2012 and what should ICT professionals be looking for in terms of participation at this event? "....The final segment of the session is a 'call to action' from me for participants to work together to advance the cause of professionalism in ICT practice to ensure we reach our goal of being recognized as a global profession by 2020....."
:06:24:		You've been a longtime member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS); can you profile the ACS and your roles with the ACS? "....The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is the recognized professional association for those working in Information and Communications Technology, seeking to raise the standing of ICT professionals and represent their views to government, industry and the community....I have been active at a Branch level since 1999 and Nationally since 2002...."
:09:36:		What value does the ACS bring regionally and internationally? "....ACS enjoys a reputation among governments and industry, and plays an important mentoring role for the countries in the region, and is a member of IFIP and South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC), and is a partner host organization for the APICTA awards held each year in a regional country....It has a well developed Computer Professional Development (CPD) program....It has iterated its Certification Program to the current well defined program which was accredited by IFIP IP3 in 2007...."
:11:37:		You have a strong interest in the ICT profession. What does the ICT profession mean to you and why should the audience care? "....I believe that ICT is a fundamental enabling technology that underpins a number of others and this makes it vulnerable to poor practice standards, out of ignorance and lack of integrity....If our practitioners are not professionals and supervised by other professionals, what assurance do I have or any other citizen of this or any country have that our lives are safe, our privacy valued and our rights protected?...."
:12:52:		What is meant by ICT professionalism and why should the diverse ICT stakeholders get involved? "....The British Computer Society's definition of a professional is: a practitioner who has specific skills rooted in a broad base with appropriate qualifications, who belongs to a regulated body, who undergoes continuous development, who operates to a code of conduct, who recognizes personal accountability and has both skill and competence. ICT stakeholders who value those qualities and the outcomes that the ICT professional brings them will get a payoff, and the payoff is effective risk management...."
:14:39:		What is IFIP IP3 and how did you get into your current role? "....I came to my current role in IFIP IP3 as the ACS representative and I was asked to stand for election as the Chairman last year, because it was a natural follow on from my time as ACS VP and in recognition of my passion to achieve recognition for the program and grow it to a broader audience...."
:16:02:		What do you hope to achieve in the short and long term with IFIP IP3? "....I need to have people recognize that this is a journey not a destination....My short-term goal is to continue to grow IP3 and my longer-term is to make IP3 somewhat redundant, but that's a very long ways away...."
:17:06:		Brenda, you are the first woman chair of IFIP IP3. Do you bring added perspectives as a pioneer? "....I don't think of myself with respect to any gender. I just try to play to my strengths and have others do likewise...."
:18:53:		Why should governments, academia, countries and other computing societies get engaged in IFIP IP3? "....ICT is unquestionably a global profession; always has been and always will be....Because we don't often have the opportunity to have a body which is set up internationally to recognize the global nature of the profession, it's really in your own interest as one of the stakeholders to ensure that your point-of-view is capable of being heard, and that your needs are being addressed by the member societies, and that your employees should and probably do belong to it...."
		[NOTE: IFIP IP3 is the International Federation of Information Processing founded by the United Nations back in 1960 and is the official consultative body for the United Nations in ICT and also is a sector member for the ITU and is also part of a global science council. The IP3 is the International Professional Practice Partnership of which Brenda is the Chair.]
:20:53:		You have done a lot of speaking lately. Can you share the value of ITU/UN WSIS Conference and your work at WSIS? What were your takeaways from WSIS? "....WSIS is the World Summit on the Information Society and is chaired and sponsored by the International Telecommunications Union of the United Nations. It has set a number of pathways to improve infrastructure, improve literacy and reduce the digital divide in a global sense by participating countries....It provided a great platform for IP3 to promote its message to leaders in government and industry around the world....It's a 'must be involved' in my view...."
:25:09:		You have travelled extensively in 2011 and in 2012. What lessons can you share from each event in your travels? "....One thing that sticks out in my mind is the global connectedness...."
:28:08:		We have many listeners and they could be computer societies and leaders of the various countries; if they wanted to get involved with IP3 where do they go and what do they do? "....They make themselves known to us. We pride ourselves as a partnership....We welcome everyone. We have our members who are Professional Societies, we have our Global Industry Council (which are senior leaders in and around industry around the globe)....Our website is: www.ip3.org...."
:29:50:		What best practices and useful lessons can you share from your work in security and risk management? "....My interest in security and risk management is on the people side, not the technology side....The single point of weakness in all security and risk management is people and therefore I am vitally concerned that we have people who have had the benefit of a professionalism approach...."
:31:44:		What do you see as the most disruptive technologies and how can we manage them? "....Technology, toys and tools. Bring Your Own Device. I believe that these are breaking down a huge number of the boxes that used to exist around practices, around performance and around expectations. I think that Open Source has the potential to be disruptive because it's not about the software, it's about the way the software is created...."
:33:50:		Brenda, from your extensive speaking, travels, and work, can you share some stories (examples: amusing, surprising, unexpected, amazing). "....I think I have already shared this with you I'm not sure I have anything left to share with you...."
:34:21:		Brenda, if you were conducting this interview, what questions would you ask and then what would be your answers? "....What must I do to get IP3 more broadly understood and more broadly out there so that people can understand the mission and messages of IP3?....When are we going to be able to have industry and employees work more effectively together on the professional skills of their workforce?....How might we address and encourage more women's participation in the practice of ICT?...."
:38:48:		Brenda, with your demanding schedule, we are indeed fortunate to have you come in to do this interview. Thank you for sharing your deep experiences with our audience. "....My pleasure Stephen...."