Ben Trueman

Ben Trueman is Head of IS Systems Development at the Network Housing Group.

Q: Was it a conscious decision to work in the voluntary sector and if so, why?

Yes, it was. I had been working in the private sector and was made redundant. I had an immediate opportunity to go and work for a large tobacco company which gave me pause for thought. It made me think about the kind of people I wanted to be working for and the kind of effect my work would have on the rest of the world. Once I got that straight in my head I turned the job down and looked for a job in the not-for-profit sector.

Q: What was your first job in the sector?

I was Information Centre Manager at Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD), which was mostly about dealing with document and knowledge management.

Q: Where did your career path go from there?

I moved into Project Management with LCD and from there moved to be a Project Manager in the Systems Development team here at Network Housing Group. From there I was fortunate enough to be made Head of System Development, a role I’ve been in for around three years now.

Q: What have been the biggest challenges working in the voluntary sector compared to other sectors?

It was a real culture shock moving from the private sector (I had been working as a consultant). There was a great deal less urgency about getting projects delivered and the IT skills levels of some of the people within the organisation (whose primary purpose was the provision of care) was much lower than that within other organisations. I think that both of those factors have changed over the 10 years I’ve been in the sector, though. Either that or I have!

Q: What do you like best about your job?

I’m fortunate to work with a group of talented people of a programme of very interesting projects which cover a wide range of business functions. That and the fact that I always love playing with new technology!

Q: What effect do you think the Conservatives Big Society is having on the Housing sector?

I think it’s too soon to say. I tend to think there is nothing new under the sun except how you market ideas but I’ll be happy to be proved wrong.

Q: What are your views on Digital Exclusion?

I have high hopes for the effect that smartphones will have. I think that within the next ten years broadband connections at home will be seen as unnecessary and that we will see far higher penetration rates for smartphone access to the Internet than we have ever seen on a traditional broadband + PC model. The challenge for the third sector is to make best use of this sea change and wrest the initiative from the private sector.

Q: Would it be a sector you would advise your children to work in?

I’d certainly point out all the good stuff but that’s the kind of decision you don’t want to try to influence too much.