12 Jan 2021

The government announces three new senior DDaT leaders

The Cabinet Office has today announced the appointment of three senior Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) leaders by the government

Alex Chisholm, Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office has announced the appointment of three senior Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) leaders by the Government:

·       Paul Willmott will Chair a new Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) for the Government

·       Joanna Davinson will be appointed the Executive Director of CDDO

·       Tom Read will be the new Chief Executive Officer of Government Digital Service (GDS)

The announcements come ahead of the launch of the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) in February - the new strategic centre for Digital, Data and Technology for the Government which will be chaired by Paul Willmott, Chief Digital Adviser for LEGO Brands Group. The CDDO will shape strategy and assure delivery for Digital, Data and Technology across government and as the Executive Director Joanna Davinson will head up the government’s 18,000 strong Digital, Data and Technology profession.

Tom Read will take up his new role as Chief Executive Officer of Government Digital Service and oversee the operation of GDS’ standards, controls and assurance functions, and enhance their focus on the development and delivery of new digital products and services.

The UK is looking ahead to new opportunities, these include tackling COVID-19 and rebuilding the economy, and the Civil Service Digital, Data and Technology function will form a vital part of this. Together these appointments will strengthen leadership in the DDaT function and work to shape and deliver the government’s innovation and transformation strategies to overhaul legacy IT systems, strengthen cyber security, improve capability, and ensure the government can better leverage data and emerging technologies.

Henry Rex, techUK’s Associate Director for Government & Healthcare said “These are excellent appointments, and today’s announcement is very welcome indeed. techUK congratulates Joanna, Tom and Paul on their new roles. 

Ten years on from the founding of GDS and the era that brought in disaggregation, cloud first and user centricity, we now look ahead to the next decade of public sector transformation. Addressing the legacy estate, harnessing data and developing capability will be essential to driving the next big leap forward in digital Government. Joanna, Tom and Paul will be crucial in making that happen, and techUK looks forward to working with them to help deliver that transformation.