Technology may have transformed our world, but public services remain generally impervious to the change. That’s the view of Daniel Korski, the latest Capital Conversation guest.
A former senior adviser to David Cameron at Number 10, Daniel is now CEO of PUBLIC – a venture capital fund that invests and supports start-ups that want to transform public services. “The reality is that there are so many great innovators out there who want to apply their products to the public sector, but don’t know where to start,” he explains to Michael Hayman.
“Technology has shown us that even old, legacy-worn services like banking can be transformed by new and agile players. There’s no reason why government shouldn’t be transformed too.”
The public sector should take inspiration from the private, he says, as the latter has set customer expectations sky high when it comes to customer service and interaction. “We are all children of Air BnB and Uber. They have taught us what good UX [user experience] looks like.”
“We are all children of Airbnb and Uber. They have taught us what good UX looks like.”
Daniel Korski
London is leading the tech pack, he adds, and while Berlin and Paris may one day challenge its crown, the UK capital has the wherewithal to stay on top. “We have it within us to keep it going. London Tech Week this year was a fantastic festival of the kind of offering that the UK has.
“At the same time, it’s probably natural that the march we stole on others is being eroded and the French, the Swedes and the Germans are doing everything they can to take advantage of the opportunities that Brexit creates.”
On Brexit – the issue that toppled his former boss – he spoke of his initial disappointment with the outcome but stands by the former Prime Minister’s decision to hold it, “If all goes well, he’ll be remembered as the man who gave the country a democratic choice.”
You can watch the full interview here