Kristi Hunt to head up digital state development at Estonia's Ministry of Economics

TALLINN – Kristi Hunt has been appointed the head of the department for the development of the digital state at the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

Hunt said her aim in the new job is to ensure the development of an agile and user-centered digital society.

"To respond appropriately to the rapidly changing needs of users, it's important that public authorities learn from each other and reuse and further develop the solutions already developed," Hunt said in a press release. She stressed that the key to promoting Estonia's digital society is user-centered services, which are supported by effective cross-sectoral cooperation.

Estonia's digital state is increasingly moving to the smartphone. Hunt said citizens must be able to access the services they need conveniently at any time from the device they use most actively. Of the major innovations in the domain of digital public services, Hunt highlighted the wider implementation of event services. She described life event services as a good example of how increasing citizen satisfaction often does not require technologically complex systems, but a user-centered process management and mindset.

"Event services are a step towards a personalized state, where services are delivered to citizens in a way that suits them, at the moment they need them most. People need to get what they need done quickly and conveniently, so they can focus on what really matters instead of bureaucracy. We are constantly looking for ways to target scarce public resources to achieve the best results," said Hunt.

She pointed out that ensuring sustainable IT management has a significantly greater impact than individual outstanding digital projects.

"While I believe that we must continue to be a pioneer in digital developments, international cooperation and exchange of best practices are very important. Analyzing the experiences of others will help us spot new ways to enable Estonia's digital way of life better still in the future," said Hunt.

Luukas Kristjan Ilves, the ministry's deputy secretary general for digital development, also noted that the key to developing the digital state lies in cooperation. This applies both within the public sector, with the private sector, with civil society organizations and, above all, with users, that is, citizens. 

Previously, Kristi Hunt has worked at the Rescue Board, in various positions at the Tax and Customs Board, as the managing director of AS Uhisteenused, the legal director of the Estonian Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the chancellor of the Estonian Chamber of Enforcement Officers and Trustees in Bankruptcy, and as CEO and member of the board of Interim Agentuur VVT.