The Digital Excellence Programme made me a better digital leader
Andy Cooke-Welling explains the impact the Digital Excellence Programme had on his approach to leading cutting edge projects.
Andy Cooke-Welling, Home Office
Deputy Director in the Home Office’s UK Central Authority, Andy Cooke-Welling leads a major digital project that could transform the way law enforcement operates internationally.
Yet despite his team’s successes, he was among the first civil servants in the country to sign up for Government Campus’ Digital Excellence Programme.
Overcoming digital nervousness
“There’s still nervousness about digital developments like artificial intelligence and big data,” he said.
“So I felt I had a responsibility to get the knowledge I needed to be able to understand the technology, the risks and opportunities in order to reassure and educate our people.
“The programme gave me the confidence and context to explain the benefits and opportunities of digital technologies. So if I were to lead the same projects again, I’d be able to articulate our aims more simply and do a better job of bringing all colleagues - not just the technical ones - on board.”
A former head of the UK’s International Crime Bureau responsible for INTERPOL and EUROPOL in the National Crime Agency, Andy has spent his career in law enforcement - starting out as a police officer in 1995. In his current role, he leads the organisation that considers extradition and evidential requests to the UK from countries across the world.
Supported by a brilliant digital transformation team, UK Central Authority (UKCA) under his leadership has launched a new system that allows UK authorities to collaborate on cases with international partners using an encrypted, end-to-end digital messaging system.
The Digital Excellence Programme made me a better digital leader
Global collaboration through digital platforms
More recently, his team has launched an online service which means partner countries can submit requests for extradition and evidence from the UK via the gov.uk website.
Together with a new case management system, the UKCA now has an integrated, world class digital platform to securely and efficiently input, process and share requests for judicial cooperation.
“This represents the most digitally advanced capability of any central authority in the world. It is a genuinely groundbreaking service which improves international, judicial co-operation” he said.
“It will help us share evidence with partners globally efficiently and securely , ultimately, making the UK a safer place.”
The impact of the Digital Excellence Programme
It took Andy just over four hours to complete the Digital Excellence Programme which has been designed for senior civil servants as well as Grade 6s and Grade 7s. The programme also signposts learners to further reading and learning opportunities they can do.
“The programme is incredibly intuitive and you certainly don’t have to be a technical expert to do it,” he said.
“For me, it opened my eyes to the strategic opportunities of innovation and balancing risks which enabled me to be confident about how to use data and technologies in a safe way.
“Leaders in central government need to be able to understand the opportunities of digital technologies so they can help demystify them for others. I certainly felt it gave me the context and confidence to lead digital transformation and bring people along with me.”