One month on from the launch of our new name and rebrand to Civiteq, we check-in with our CEO, Tony Summers to talk about his and the business’s background, the reasons for the rebrand, our upcoming 10th anniversary and plans for 2025.
Q. Tell us a little about yourself and how our business started.
Tony:
Well, I’ve been working in local and central government for 45 years. At the start, I had 15 years in local government, then 10 years across three large organisations in the criminal justice sector and another 10 years as an independent consultant and advisor across central, regional and local government.
In May 2015, I co-founded Socitm Advisory, along with David Bryant and Andrew Rogers, so we’ll be celebrating ten years in business later this year. In that time the sector has seen many changes, and we’ve adapted to stay at the forefront of what we do – the rebrand is part of this need to move with the sector as well as part of our own evolvement.
Away from work, I’m a keen endurance cyclist. Last year I completed the renowned Paris-Brest-Paris bike ride, when I clocked up 1,219km over 3 days. This year, I’m focusing my rides on some cycling vacations across Europe, including some slightly shorter, but still challenging classic adventures in Italy, Mallorca and Sweden with the last two of those being single day challenges, each over 300km!
Q: So why the rebrand, was Socitm Advisory taken over?
Tony:
We changed our name from Socitm Advisory to Civiteq in February this year. And no, this isn’t as part of a takeover; we’re still the same people, delivering the same high-quality services, just under the new brand of Civiteq.
We worked with a specialist brand agency last Summer to conduct some market research, which helped us understand more about the Socitm Advisory brand, and our customers, colleagues and partners told us there was confusion between Socitm Advisory, and Socitm, the membership organisation.
That’s when our rebrand journey began, particularly to create a clear distinction between what we do and what Socitm does.
We have set out our new brand in a way that’s distinct. With Civiteq we’ve created a brand that supports public service organisations to ‘unlock progressive public services’. We understand that transformation means different things to different people, but progress is what we know public service leaders are looking for. And we’re committed to supporting their progress, unlocking what they want to do and be.
Q: Does Civiteq still have a relationship with Socitm?
Tony:
Yes, absolutely. We still work closely with the team at Socitm who provide excellent resources for public sector senior leaders. And in fact, Socitm is still a shareholder in Civiteq; that remains unchanged with the name change.
Q: Is there a change in what you’re looking to deliver as Civiteq?
Tony:
We lead the market in the delivery of strategic ERP advisory and delivery services into local government, and we’ve recently been working with more and more local authorities to support their progress with digital and service improvement programmes.
As Civiteq, we’re focused on building on these successes and expanding our work into the wider public service sector, for example, into central government, where we already work and are looking to grow further.
Q: Why the focus on central government?
Tony:
We’ve delivered services into central government for many years, and now more than ever Civiteq can add value to the sector. We know, as part of the government’s shared service strategy, that many departments and arms-length bodies, are either beginning their move to a cloud-based ERP and/or are preparing for a move to a shared service for their ERP.
With our expertise and experience in planning and implementing ERP programmes across government, we know our team of specialists can help organisations simplify these complex programmes and deliver successful transitions.
Q: What can customers expect from working with Civiteq?
Tony:
Our core purpose remains the same, we’re about helping to build a future where technology enables better lives and more effective public services. The majority of our consultants have worked in public sector organisations, so they can easily empathise with our customers. We can accelerate work because we know the intricacies of the sector. And our team are so passionate about the work they do. I know everyone says that, but it’s true!
And we’ve really brought our work to life through a new Civiteq promise; to unlock progressive public services. This is about being able to help public service organisations to innovate, adapt and deliver high-quality services removing obstacles and enabling them to achieve progress. Our rebrand has helped us focus and strengthen what we do for our customers.
Q: And what does 2025 look like for you?
Well from a personal perspective I’ve got a few ‘small’ cycling challenges and a road trip to Scandinavia planned, and from a business perspective I’m looking forward to our first year as Civiteq, celebrating our ten years in business, and supporting many more public service organisations to deliver progressive services for their colleagues and customers.