Xavier Bettel’s encouragement for IT decision-makers in Luxembourg

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel concluded the first part of the evening Golden-i 2014, which was held on May 15, with an encouragement message for IT decision-makers of the Place, full of enthusiasm for the future economic development of IT and Luxembourg. For him it’s clear : IT has an important place in the Grand-Duché and has to grow to be an engine of global growth.

May 22, 2014

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel concluded the first part of the evening Golden-i 2014, which was held on May 15, with an encouragement message for IT decision-makers of the Place, full of enthusiasm for the future economic development of IT and Luxembourg. For him it’s clear : IT has an important place in the Grand-Duché and has to grow to be an engine of global growth.

Smiling and proud to be a chief guest of the event, Xavier Bettel described the event as ‘’an unique event dedicated to CIOs and IT decision makers from Luxembourg’’. His message is sent directly to them.

Encouragement and thanks

« I firmly believe that you represent one of the most important professions of Luxembourg’s future. I want to stress this tonight, because too often, CIOs and IT specialists have the ungrateful task of being in charge, within a company, of something ‘complex’ that ‘simply needs to work!’…However, I see things changing. I think there is, increasingly, a shift in consciousness, at every level, of the strategic importance and of the extent of the dependency on technology, regardless of a company’s core business…Information technology is gradually becoming a key element of every operational strategy, and, as a consequence, an item that is – or should be – on every CEO’s agenda. »

This revolution concerned everyone

« It has got to work; it cannot fail; it is vital for business, it is vital for operations!…Top level managers will no longer be able to turn a blind eye to it, they will have to get involved. Whatever the sector of activity. Whatever the size of a company…The job description of a CIO also includes developing new tools and programs to improve efficiency. To increase 2 speed. To reduce costs. And last but not least: to foster innovation and steel the competitive edge. It is essential to the success of the company. This is your job (and I bet it keeps you busy!). The same is true at the level of the Government.

Information and communications technologies can no longer be considered as a neatly separated task to be outsourced to one entity that will manage every aspect of it…IT needs to move into the strategic decisionmaking process of policy for three reasons:

  • IT is vital to our national security
  • IT is a cutting edge tool that can help reduce costs and increase efficiency,
  • IT fosters innovation and will give us the competitive edge that our country needs to continue to grow and flourish. »

Be proud of Luxembourg

« Luxembourg can be proud of its high-end data centers and abundant, state-of-the-art international connectivity…Within the country, the very ambitious national broadband strategy ensures that Luxembourg is the country best connected not only to the outside world, but also at domestic level, for every household and every company based here. Even if that means a lot of building Works…But now we have to go further…We must harness their potential to make the entire country more compétitive…It is imperative that we streamline our internal structures to help reduce costs and to make efficiency gains. E-government is more than just another “e-word”…I see ICT as an investment, rather than an expense

And let us not forget the data economy. “Data is the new oil”, as they say, so let’s start drilling ! Let’s create new opportunities with Big Data. Let’s build on our reputation as a trust center for finance to become an Information Trust Center for any kind of valuable data… We have the knowledge, we have the infrastructure, we have the legal environment, we have the skills (hello PSFs!) and we boast an excellent reputation as a trust center. The task of keeping financial data safe is the same for any type of data. We know how to do the job in Luxembourg (…well, you know how to do the job!). We need to leverage these strengths and finetune our value proposition of Luxembourg as an Information Trust Center. »

New staff needed

« I am aware of the difficulties you are having in recruiting new staff. We desperately need well trained and highly skilled people. People like you. Experts like you ! If the companies that are intent on growing in Luxembourg cannot find the right skills, they will have to go elsewhere. In the short term, we may have to attract those skills to the country, to bring them in from abroad as a stopgap solution. But predominantly, we need to develop and nurture these skills and talents at home, here in Luxembourg…

Information and Communication technologies harbour that potential. “Coding is the new Latin”, so if we can teach our kids Latin, why not teach them how to code, as a universal tool of communication…Let’s raise a new IT literate generation!…share your passion and enthusiasm with those around you. You can be proud of what you accomplish every day. »

Modernize all

« I, Ladies and Gentlemen, will try to do my job just like a modern CEO would and should: I will elevate the standing of ICT to a top strategic priority in policy-making in Luxembourg ! I wish you a productive and inspiring rest of the evening. »

[button color=”red” link=” http://www.mediacom.public.lu/institutions/Institutions_nationales/smc/20140519_golden-i/NO_20140513_Golden-i_final.pdf”]Read all the Xavier Bettel’s speech [/button]

Crédit photo : Alexia Lisi

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