DMP Principal Project Officer wins prestigious IPAA Award

Petro Scafidas recognised for management of an agency-wide digital programme
Date: Friday, 24 June 2016

Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) Principal Project Officer Petro Scafidas’ management of an agency-wide Digital Transformation Reform Programme to bring all customer transactions online has resulted in a prestigious IPAA Award.

Mr Scafidas has been awarded the Western Australia Institute of Public Administration (IPAA WA) Young Leader of the Year Achievement Award for his role in the development of the digital project, along with improvements of the department’s stakeholder interaction.

DMP Director General Richard Sellers congratulated Mr Scafidas on his award and said he was able to implement several significant changes by breaking down barriers and finding solutions to existing problems by working directly with executive staff and engaging with all areas of DMP.

Mr Sellers said these ranged from technical implementation options to legislative advice and interpretation, and steering several leadership teams to create strategies to achieve key digital reform objectives.

“Mr Scafidas has also been responsible for establishing a successful Business Process Improvement initiative resulting in significant cost reductions and productivity gains by removing bottlenecks and eliminating duplicate and redundant manual tasks,” Mr Sellers said.

As a result, more than 50 application types across the department have been reformed ranging from procurement and recruitment through to Dangerous Goods Site Licences and Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) applications.

“Several other government agencies have since expressed an interest in DMP’s new automated workflow processes and are considering similar reforms,” Mr Sellers said.

Mr Scafidas was the 2012 Valedictorian for the Australian Public Sector Commission’s Public Sector Management Programme (PSMP).

DMP Land Use Geoscience Manager Warren Ormsby narrowly missed out in the Policy Practitioner of the Year Achievement Award category.

Mr Ormsby was short-listed for his ability to grasp policy issues, focus on strategic outcomes with attention to detail, coupled with technical knowledge and high professional standards.

“Warren reached the finals for his role in the development of the State Government’s Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan and the South West Native Title Settlement,” Mr Sellers said.