XBRL Canada Webinar held on Digital Transformation and Standardization

On May 8, 2018, XBRL Canada held a webinar on the topic of Digital Transformation and the need for Standardization. It was presented by John McAlister, a globally known expert in digital transformation.

John is well known within business and financial sectors, in Australia and Internationally, as having led transformation programs that have changed the way that Australian Individuals or Businesses deal with each other and with government.

He is former Commissioner and National Director of the Australian Taxation Office. In that position, he:

•Initiated and led the Electronic Invoicing initiative, estimated to deliver savings of $10 Billion through an open digital framework.

•Managed Standard Business Reporting (SBR) which led to savings estimated at more than $1.4 billion. 

•Influenced the adoption of data and message standards for SuperStream, delivering benefits of $3.2Billion.

•Led the development of the ATO’s e-tax system

•Created and delivered the pre-fill initiatives, and piloted the foundations of the online Tax return.

John was effective in bringing that twenty years of experience into play in explaining why standards are necessary in digital transformation projects. It’s worth noting that the savings he outlined from adopting standards represent opportunity costs for those who do not adopt standards.

The webinar has been recorded and is available on the XBRL Canada website.