Industry Talk: Ethics and Professionalism in Information Technology

17 May 2019 2:10 PM - 3:00 PM
Presenter/Speaker: Mike Dennehy, President, IT Professionals New Zealand
Location: G.1.15

Following the terrible events in Christchurch on March 15, when a terrorist attacked two mosques and shot dead 50 people, there has been a great deal of debate about the role of social media in fostering and encouraging extremism and terrorism.  In particular, the discussion is around how social media providers can be forced to quickly detect, shut down and remove illegal content.

We also live in a time when the most technologically-advanced airplanes are literally falling out of the sky, apparently due to software issues, causing hundreds of deaths in different parts of the world.

The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning also present a number of new issues around safety, control and how to prevent unintended consequences.

There are also dozens of examples, many local, where a lack of professionalism – or in some cases the refusal to respect what an IT professional has recommended – has caused millions of dollars in losses, disruption and inconvenience – Novopay, anyone?

This presentation will define what we mean by professionalism and why it has never been more important in IT. It will address some of the requirements for being a professional, including signing up to and adhering to a Code of Ethics, and how to achieve professional certification with IT Professional New Zealand. It will also cover the Seoul Accord and ITPNZ’s role in accrediting IT degrees.

BIO:
Mike Dennehy is a Member of the Institute of IT Professionals (MIITP), a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and since 2016 has served as the President of IT Professionals New Zealand.

Mike joined the IT industry in 1980 as a trainee Computer Operator in Auckland, and spent several years plying his trade between Auckland and London, until moving to Tauranga in 1993 and founding Vision Software, a vertical-market software developer serving a number of niche industries. An exited entrepreneur, Mike and his partner sold Vision Software to a UK company in 2014, and in 2017 Mike completed his earn-out and management contract requirements.

Mike now owns Cactus Consulting, a boutique IT consulting business helping organisations to get the most out of their investment in business software. Mike is married to Sue, has two young adult children at university, and lives in Papamoa Beach where he enjoys golf and cycling when not working.