UK government appoints CTO

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The UK government has appoint the former government deputy CIO Liam Maxwell as the its chief technology officer (CTO).

In his cross-Whitehall role as CTO, Maxwell will support a network of Digital Leaders created by the UK government Digital Service (GDS), as well as CTOs within each respective government department. He will be tasked with identifying technologies required to modernise the delivery of digital public services.

This IT Reform Group will become part of the GDS framework, with Maxwell reporting to GDS Executive Director Mike Bracken.

Maxwell has been a key proponent in G-Cloud plans, aiming to open up the procurement process for smaller suppliers. He has also indicated that the use of new technologies, such as Hadoop software, could be vital in moving away from the large contracts that have been awarded to suppliers in the past.

The UK Government chief operating officer Stephen Kelly said, "I am delighted to announce the appointment of Liam Maxwell as CTO for HM government."

"Each department already has its own CTO or someone approximating to that role. Working together, Liam, Government CIO Andy Nelson, the CTOs and Digital Leaders will form a powerful combination to achieve the transition to Digital by Default," he added.

Maxwell was appointed as deputy CIO in April of this year, taking over from the outgoing Bill McCluggage. He had previously been employed as director of ICT futures at the Cabinet Office, having also worked as head of ICT at Eton College.

Despite repeated suggestions and advice from industry and interest groups, the Irish Government has not appointed either a chief information officer, or a chief technology officer. Instead, it has a Public Service CIO Council, which comprises 11 permanent and four non-permanent members, all of whom are public servants with direct industry representation.

Indeed there have been further calls for a chief information security officer (CISO) to be appointed by the government to protect critical infrastructure from attack. These calls, to date, have also gone unheeded.

IDG News Service and TechCentral Reporters

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