Meetup topic
Digitisation in the public sector
Date
8th of May 2025
Location
El Niño office Enschede
Speakers
Johan Stubbe (WGV Zorg en Welzijn)
Dick Laan & Moniek Koerhuis (Gemeente Enschede)
Claudia Vermeulen (Innovalor)
Access the Meetup slides here
Digitisation in the public sector meetup
Johan Stubbe (WGV Zorg en Welzijn)
Johan Stubbe talked about how healthcare and welfare organizations in Eastern Netherlands are dealing with digitalization. His network connects over 200 organizations, and the big issues they face are data privacy, too many different IT systems, and staff shortages. He stressed that technology can help ease the pressure, but only if people are open to using it. The key, he said, is to get everyone involved early, set clear standards, and make sure the benefits are well explained so adoption feels natural.
Moniek Koerhuis & Dick Laan (City of Enschede CIO Office)
Moniek and Dick shared how the city of Enschede is rethinking its digital services. Their job is to make sure new tech like AI, cloud, and automation fits local needs and stays in line with laws and social challenges. They want city services to be transparent, easy to use, and safe, while also keeping a human touch. For them, digital transformation isn’t just about shiny new tools — it’s about making life easier and more inclusive for residents and businesses.
Claudia Vermeulen (InnoValor)
Claudia Vermeulen brought in the perspective of digital ethics. She explained ethics as figuring out what’s right or wrong in how we use tech, especially with AI. She showed how organizations can grow in “maturity,” moving from no ethical approach at all to fully embedding it in every process. Her main message was that ethics shouldn’t be an afterthought — it has to be designed into systems from the start. That way, digital innovation can be responsible, fair, and trustworthy.
Digital transformation with people at the center
Speakers emphasized that technology in the public sector is only successful when it truly helps people — whether it’s easing staff shortages in healthcare, making city services simpler and more transparent, or ensuring everyone can take part in the digital world.
Ethics and trust as the foundation
From AI to everyday digital tools, the meetup highlighted that responsible innovation is key. Building privacy, fairness, and accessibility into systems from the start is essential to create trust between governments, organizations, and citizens.
"What I loved about the meetup is that it wasn’t just about technology — it was about how digital tools can actually make life easier, fairer, and more human. It gave me hope that innovation in the public sector can really serve people, not the other way around."
- CEO // El Niño
