High achievers win three awards

CEO Chris Cowley proudly displays the three awards on behalf of the IT Team.

City of Burnside Council was recognised with three awards at the Local Government Information Technology South Australia (LGITSA) Awards Night on 15 October.

The Information Management (IM) Team received the Excellence in Information Management award for developing a brand-new Business Classification Scheme (BCS) designed to be used as the backbone of Council’s Electronic Document Records Management System. 

The result was a simplification of Council’s records management practices to provide faster and more accurate information to the community.

Young Achiever of the Year – Jessica Simpson’s journey began when she landed a contract position in Council’s Information Management team in November 2019 as the standout candidate, and has since become widely respected for her outstanding work ethic and innovative approach. 

At the relatively young age of 20, she has proven herself as a highly motivated self-starter who was instrumental in Council’s digital transformation – converting dozens of archaic paper-based processes to modern electronic workflows.

Team of the Year (IT/IM) – COVID-19 Response award recognises excellence in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure essential services were maintained.

The Innovation and Technology (IT) Team were vital in Council successfully continuing to deliver its essential services during the pandemic. The team lead and supported online initiatives including 17 Council and committee meetings delivered electronically during the peak of the restrictions. 

They developed a biodiversity online store where more than 3000 native plants were given away within a matter of days, set up most of the workforce to seamlessly transition to working from home ensuring services were uninterrupted for the community (and with glowing feedback from staff), all while continuing to provide daily organisational support and enhancing back-bone infrastructure.