Andy Nelson is to become the Government's chief information officer (CIO) when Joe Harley steps down at the end of March.
Nelson, an Oxford graduate who has 30 years experience in IT, will make the move over from the Ministry of Justice, where he was CIO.
Earlier this year, Nelson was tasked with taking the Government's G-Cloud initiative forward. He has previously held roles at Accenture, Asda and Royal Sun Alliance.
"It is fantastic to be able to assign the role of government CIO to someone who has held major CIO roles in private sector and has been involved in the ICT strategy since the very beginning," said Ian Watmore, permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office.
"Andy has worked closely with Joe over the past months and will continue to do so ensuring that we continue to deliver ICT services fit for a modern civil service."
Bill McCluggage, deputy CIO, is also leaving the Government to join storage giant EMC. The Government is still hunting for a replacement.
Nelson takes over at a time when the Government is realigning its IT strategy. The Coalition has already made moves to ensure it isn't pandering to big IT companies, promising to hand work to SME vendors if they are suitable.
It is also looking to bring in open source technologies as well as make its cloud programme a reality.
A Socitm report last week found local public service providers remain unconvinced about the G-Cloud's prospects.
-
Asus ZenScreen Fold OLED MQ17QH reviewReviews A stunning foldable 17.3in OLED display – but it's too expensive to be anything more than a thrilling tech demo
-
How the UK MoJ achieved secure networks for prisons and offices with Palo Alto NetworksCase study Adopting zero trust is a necessity when your own users are trying to launch cyber attacks
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talentNews Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.
-
US government urged to overhaul outdated technologyNews A review from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found legacy technology and outdated IT systems are negatively impacting efficiency.
-
Government urged to improve tech procurement practicesNews The National Audit Office highlighted wasted money and a lack of progress on major digital transformation programmes
-
Government says new data bill will free up millions of hours of public sector timeNews The UK government is proposing new data laws it says could free up millions of hours of police and NHS time every year and boost the UK economy by £10 billion.
-
Three giant tech challenges the UK’s new government faces right nowOpinion Five years starts now, and there’s not a second to waste
