San Chander is the Director of Identity Engagement for the Department of Customer Service Identity.NSW Engagement Team.
Digital technology has changed the way we connect with each other, the way we work, buy everyday goods, and how we access services. With more services available online, there is a growing need for an easy way to access and securely share our digital information.
Verifiable credentials – digital versions of identity documents, licences, qualifications and certificates – will be an easy way for the people of NSW to prove what they have earned and achieved.
They will also be a convenient and secure way for the people of NSW to control what personal information they share with government and non-government organisations.
We sat down with San to get an insight into her role and how her work is helping champion the benefits of the Digital Identity Verifiable Credentials (DIVC) program with businesses, industry, community and government agencies.
Please tell us about what you do.
As the Director for Engagement, I have the exciting role of looking after partnerships, communications and media for the transformational DIVC program. This is an innovative program that’s all about building trust with a diversity of stakeholders. This includes government, industry, regulators and the public. An exciting part of my role is to build connections with colleagues from interstate and international jurisdictions who are on a similar journey. This allows us to exchange ideas and learnings, whilst building the ability to be interoperable in the future.
What is the role of the Engagement Team?
The Engagement Team has the key role of developing the strategy to build trust and relationships with the variety of stakeholders we interact with. Given how innovative the digital identity space is, the team spends a lot of energy educating other agencies, industry partners, regulators and the people of NSW. The team also helps in assessing partner readiness, providing advice on how best to pilot and scale the program to realise value to customers.
Who are your key customers?
Given the breadth of the program, key customers range from government agencies to various industries e.g. real estate, banking, telecommunications, insurance, gaming and vocational education and training sectors. Other key stakeholders include regulators who we are working with to enable changes that will help with the broader adoption of the program. The ultimate customers are the people of NSW, who will benefit from privacy and security when increasingly transacting in a digital economy.
How will the NSW Digital ID project help address some of the privacy concerns customers face with digital?
The NSW Digital ID program has the opportunity to minimise the amount of data people are sharing online and reduce the creation of honey pots of personal information when customers are transacting in the digital economy. Benefits from this reduction of shared information online include the protection of data from breaches, theft and ultimately, reducing the opportunity for identity fraud.
What is your proudest work moment from the last 12 months?
My proudest moment from the last 12 months has been leading the industry roundtable to build partnerships with industry stakeholders, whilst realising how valuable the DIVC program is to others. I’m also super happy about the journey we’ve begun towards engaging the public and branding the program, through media, social media, roundtables, digital showcases and web hubs.