PUBLIC SERVANT OF 22 years, Rodney Taylor, is the new director of the Data Processing Department (DPD).
Taylor’s appointment took effect from March 1, this year.
“I am delighted to join the team at the department. We have a group of very good professionals, well qualified in information technology and very keen on delivering for the public service. We will be working and stepping up our efforts to ensure that Barbados maintains a reputation as an efficient place to do business,” he assured.
The new director has several major plans for the DPD, including the internal restructuring of the organisation, which was established in 1970. Armed with their various skill sets, he and his team will be working to ensure the organisation reflects a modern structure, so that services to the public service would be delivered more efficiently.
“The Data Processing Department is the central information technology department for Government. It drives not just the policies that guide the ministries and agencies within the public service, but also provides critical support to shared infrastructure. For example, the Wide Area Network which connects ministries so we can share information and cut down processing time; the email that government offices use to communicate; and the portal which is the gateway to government information and services,” he explained.
Taylor is firmly of the view that the time has come for the organisation to have a name change since, according to him, the current name does not reflect the range of services offered.
The new director began his career at the Immigration Department in 1994 as an immigration officer, and subsequently worked as a Data Processing Officer with oversight for the new computerised system at that department. He moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1998 to set up and manage an Information Systems Department.
He was seconded to the Caribbean Telecommunications Union for four years as a business development and operations manager, supported by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation. His last assignment for the past two years was that of senior foreign service officer with responsibility for CARICOM and Caribbean Affairs.
Taylor has a Masters in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. He has completed several courses in information technology and economic development, which looked at how information technology could be used to drive economic growth and improve efficiency nationally, both in the private and public sectors.
“I think it is recognised globally that information technology has a critical role and can be a major agent in driving economic development. It is important that we look at how information technology can help Barbados to grow economically and socially,” he stated. (BGIS)
