New head of GDS announced
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Ben Gummer, announced the appointment of Kevin Cunnington as the new Head of the Government Digital Service (GDS).
Kevin brings a wealth of experience to GDS from his previous roles, including at Goldman Sachs and Vodafone. Most recently he was Director General for Business Transformation in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Among other things at DWP, Kevin set up the award-winning Digital Academy, training over 3,000 civil servants in digital project management.
Commenting on the appointment, the minister said:
My predecessor in the Cabinet Office, Matt Hancock, had with foresight and energy pursued an acceleration of the delivery of digital public services. I am determined to complete the work that he began.
That is why I am confirming the appointment of Kevin Cunnington as the new, and first, Director General of the Government Digital Service. I have asked him to build on the outstanding legacy of Mike Bracken and Stephen Foreshew-Cain, to work with governments departments to continue the transformation of government services so that we can better serve the public, and to continue the global leadership in digital transformation that GDS is rightly famed for here and abroad.
John Manzoni, Chief Executive of the Civil Service, added:
At DWP Kevin played a pivotal role in successfully introducing a range of digital services and products and growing the DWP digital academy. He combines that proven track record with a deep understanding of the business transformation necessary to ensure that the full benefits of digital investment are realised.
Kevin Cunnington said:
I am delighted to be joining the Government Digital Service, working across government to continue to improve digital services and increase value for money for taxpayers.
GDS has just announced that 2 of its key projects, GOV.UK Notify and GOV.UK Pay, have taken huge strides forward, with Notify moving into private beta testing, and Pay now approved to process credit and debit card payments on behalf of other government departments and wider public sector organisations.
The government’s 2015 spending review outlined a £450 million investment in the service.