Ben Fowkes Delib ConsultantBeing a social company, and one that travels from time to time, we thought it would be good to tell you about Ben and Rowena’s Great Australia (and New Zealand, and Singapore) Trip, and introduce you to one of them.

Ben’s been working at Delib for a while now, with a professional mandate to swan around talking digital democracy. He’s going to be in Australia for most of February so if you want a meet up to learn a bit more about Delib, or just to drink coffee and talk about the weather, he’s your man. We know there’s nothing worse than an awkward introduction so here are a few morsels of his distilled wisdom and a gratuitous, if rather small, photo.

So Ben, what are you most looking forward to about going overseas?
Aside from the obvious (the weather); I’m most looking forward to putting some faces to some names. It’ll make a pleasant change to talk to Australians in normal working hours rather than sat in my dining room at 4 a.m. bemoaning the concept of international time zones.

And what are you hoping to learn?
Mostly, I want to learn how Government in Australia works: how it talks to its citizens online and how it differs across central, state and local levels. If it’s anything like the UK I’d expect them to function in distinct ways with a similar and corresponding difference in culture, activity and people. I’m probably wrong on all counts, so I’ll let you know.

What do you hope to share?
Primarily – Delib’s world vision. We want to connect people as effectively as possible with decision making, and there’s no reason whatsoever why it shouldn’t be an international approach. I’m firmly rooted in the UK so it’ll be interesting to share some insight and see if anyone wants to replicate it.

As a biscuit aficionado, I’m also looking forwards to trying a Tim-Tam.

Want to meet Ben? Email him on ben@delib.net, or catch up on Twitter via @ben_fowkes