Mike Potter, appointed as GCDO in July 2022, departed government at the end of last month and PublicTechnology understands existing tech executives are sharing his duties in the short term
Government has yet to confirm plans for replacing the former Whitehall-wide chief digital officer Mike Potter, with incumbent executives sharing his duties in the short-term, PublicTechnology understands.
Potter was appointed as government chief digital officer (GCDO) in July 2022, a cross-departmental role, based in the Central Digital and Data Office. The post came with the responsibility of “owning the vision and strategy for digital, data and technology” across government, and serving as the head of the civil service Digital and Data profession. The appointment came almost three years after an equivalent post was first advertised.
During his time in the GCDO role, Potter was on leave for some time while he received treatment for cancer. He returned to work in late 2023 but, in a recent post on LinkedIn, he wrote that “in the intervening months, I have come to realise that my personal resilience isn’t at the level needed to sustain what is an incredible but very demanding role”.
“I am therefore taking the advice of my brilliant doctors and amazing family and stepping down to focus on my health and recovery,” he added.
Potter’s last day in post was 27 September.
PublicTechnology understands that, for the time being, government chief technology officer David Knott has taken on responsibility for leading the Central Digital and Data Office as an organisation. His colleague, executive director of CDDO Gina Gill, is serving as head of the Digital and Data profession throughout government.
Five weeks have now elapsed since Potter publicly announced his departure, and it is not clear whether he will be directly replaced as GCDO, or if and when such a role – or a similar post – might be advertised. It is understood that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which now houses digital government operations, will announce its future leadership plans “in due course”.
In the meantime, a departmental spokesperson said: “Mike contributed hugely to innovation across government in his role, we thank him for his efforts.”
Potter has spent much of his career in government and the wider public sector, including senior tech roles at entities including the Environment Agency, NHS Blood and Transplant, and HM Revenue and Customs – where he spent 15 months as interim group chief digital and information officer. In between which, he has worked for commercial organisations including Boots and Thames Water.
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In his online post announcing his imminent departure from the civil service, Potter said that “this has not been an easy decision to make”.
“My time in government, over the past 20 years, has been the most wonderful and rewarding experience,” he added. “I have full confidence in the team in CDDO, and across the wider digital and data function, to continue our critical work and continue to make a positive difference to millions of people across the country. I wanted to end on a thank you. The support shown to me, both personally and professionally, from colleagues in the civil service and beyond has truly been touching. I will continue to be the biggest cheerleader for digital and data but now from the sidelines. I hope to return and contribute to public service in some form in the future.”
If government does readvertise the role of Whitehall-wide chief digital officer, it will hope to do so more successfully than some of the previous recent attempts to recruit such a figure. A newly created position as government chief digital and information officer was opened for applications in September 2019 and – after this failed to result in an appointment – the process was, effectively, relaunched 11 months later.
That recruitment exercise also failed to lead to an appointment. However, rather than launch an identical process for the third time, in January 2021 government installed former Home Office digital leader Joanna Davinson as executive head of the newly established CDDO, a role in which she held many of the same responsibilities as the planned GCDIO.
A little over a year later, government did reopen applications for a cross-department digital head and, five months later, Potter was appointed. Davinson departed CDDO shortly thereafter.
Potter’s departure comes two months after a major shake-up of government’s core digital operations, with CDDO – alongside the Government Digital Service and the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence – moving from the Cabinet Office to DSIT.