Digital Jersey has appointed the Digital Policy Adviser for the Government of Estonia, Siim Sikkut, as its newest Special Adviser. The appointment was made by the body to support its goals of enabling Jersey as a digital society and developing the island’s digital economy.
During the evolution of Estonia as a leading digital jurisdiction in recent years, Siim has played a key role by helping to plan and carry out the policies and strategies for the country’s pioneering eGovernment programme, while overseeing the collaborative relationships across government and private sector. In addition to this role, another experience that provided Siim with transferrable insight is his position as a Board Member for the eGovernance Academy, an independent consultancy organisation which has transferred eGov knowledge and best practice to over 50 countries across the world.
Siim’s appointment as Special Adviser comes following the appointment of fintech expert and Director of Consult Hyperion, Dave Birch, as Special Adviser for fintech last month.
Siim Sikkut, commented:
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to contribute towards Jersey’s digital transformation. I truly believe Jersey could be a digital leader globally. The island’s position as a world-leading business jurisdiction, its strong relationship between government and industry, and of course its compact size, makes it ideal for innovation. As Digital Jersey’s Special Adviser not only will I bring practical policy experience from work on Estonia’s eGov programme to help realise Jersey’s own eGov ambitions, but also wider industry experience, which I hope will help to develop the island as a digital start-up location. The building blocks are already in place, it’s now time for Jersey to take bold steps in the digital direction.”
Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey, commented:
“Estonia is world-renowned as a leading example of how a small country can become a digital powerhouse, so it’s extremely exciting to welcome Siim to the Digital Jersey team. Siim’s experience and expertise in digital policy will be invaluable as we continue to accelerate our plans to enable Jersey as a digital society. This appointment is a milestone in a longstanding relationship between Estonia and Jersey and I’m looking forward to continuing to build on the connection between our digital communities, start-ups and other companies to see how we can help each other to benefit both our economies in the future.”
Senator Philip Ozouf, Assistant Chief Minister at the States of Jersey added:
“I recently had the opportunity to visit Estonia to discover more about what makes the country such a digital success story. I was fascinated by how they have implemented technology to make citizens’ lives easier, quicker and simpler. Having seen the potential of a fully digitally enabled society first hand, it’s extremely encouraging to have strengthened our relationship with Estonia by appointing Siim as a Special Adviser for Digital Jersey. Growing Jersey’s digital sector is central to the growth of our overall economy while providing more opportunities for islanders.”
