Government digital products chief upgraded to director general level – PublicTechnology
Following a year of significant change in its leadership top table, with a number of key tech figureheads appointed, Whitehall’s digital department has further tweaked its roster of six DGs
The senior official with responsibility for overseeing digital products across government has been promoted to a director general-level position, while the role of another tech leader has been tweaked.
Christine Bellamy, who has served as the government chief product officer for the past 12 months, has now been appointed as director general for digital products. Her brief appears to be essentially the same and, as with her prior posting, the position is based in the Government Digital Service.
Her GOV.UK biography page indicates that, in her new position, former GDS chief executive Bellamy will remain “responsible for the strategic product direction and operational excellence of government products and services [and she will] ensure the delivery of world-class digital services that transform the way citizens interact with the government”.
Directors general sit one rung below permanent secretaries in the grading system of the senior civil service. The promotion of the product chief means that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology now has six DGs – including three technology-focused leadership briefs that have been created in the past six months.
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In August, DSIT revealed that Sarah Connolly had been named as DG for digital, technology and infrastructure, while Ollie Ilott was appointed to a director general role focused on AI. As with Bellamy’s recent promotion, the duo have been installed in to their posts on an interim basis.
Alongside the creation of the digital products leadership role, the job description of one of the incumbent directors general has also been amended as of this month. Emily Middleton – formerly director general for digital centre design – has now been appointed as DG of the Digital Transformation Group in DSIT.
Middleton, Bellamy, Ilott and Connolly are joined in the leadership structure of DSIT by Freya Guinness, director general for corporate services, and Alexandra Jones, director general for science, innovation and growth.
Above them is permanent secretary Emran Mian, whose job now also encompasses the duties of a government chief digital officer – a role which DSIT recently decided is no longer required.