Press release

Business Minister Matthew Hancock announces the appointment of Nigel Clifford as the new Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey

Nigel Clifford has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey (OS).

From:
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Ordnance Survey and The Rt Hon Matt Hancock
Published
6 March 2015
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Business Minister Matthew Hancock has today (6 March 2015) announced the appointment of Nigel Clifford as the new Chief Executive of the Ordnance Survey (OS).

Nigel will take up leadership of the £145 million turnover organisation in June 2015, bringing extensive experience of international software, telecoms and services including complex joint venture and public sector enterprises.

This experience will be vital to OS in its role as Britain’s mapping agency, whose accurate location-based data underpins key public and private sector functions. Nigel will also lead OS into a new era as a government-owned company and an exciting future of innovation and partnerships at the heart of the geospatial information sector.

Business Minister Matthew Hancock said:

I am delighted to welcome Nigel Clifford to Ordnance Survey at this important time in the organisation’s history. The change to a government-owned company provides an exciting opportunity for the staff, partners and users of OS data, and Nigel’s leadership will be crucial in delivering a flexible, customer-focused outlook.

Nigel Clifford said:

I am immensely excited to be taking up this role, particularly now. As a long-time member of the Royal Geographical Society and an enthusiastic traveller and hill walker, I have had a keen interest in Ordnance Survey for many years. It is wonderful to have this opportunity to combine an abiding interest in ‘location’ with my background in technology, partnering and business to create world-leading user experiences.

OS works with a diverse range of customers and partners in government, business and consumer sectors across Great Britain and internationally. It produces and manages data of unparalleled depth, breadth and accuracy, maintaining the definitive record of Britain’s geographic features and producing innovative maps and services for a global customer base. OS has around 1,200 employees with a head office in Southampton, where Nigel will be based.

Notes to Editors

  1. The appointment of Nigel Clifford follows an open competition overseen by the Civil Service Commission.
  2. Neil Ackroyd has been the Acting Chief Executive since April 2014, and will return to the role of Chief Operating Officer when Nigel takes up his post in June 2015.
  3. Nigel Clifford’s previous roles include Chief Executive of Procserve Holdings Ltd (February 2012 to present), Chief Executive of Micro Focus International (April 2010 to April 2011), Senior Vice Present of Nokia (January 2009 to March 2010), Chief Executive, Symbian Software Ltd (April 2005 to January 2009), Chief Executive Tertio Telecoms (July 2000 to April 2005), Chief Executive, Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust (December 1992 to May 1998) and various senior roles in Cable & Wireless, and BT.
  4. Nigel Clifford has a geography degree from Cambridge University and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
  5. The government recently announced the intention to transition Ordnance Survey from a trading fund to a wholly-owned government company by the end of the financial year.
  6. More information about Ordnance Survey can be found at www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/

Updates to this page

Published 6 March 2015