Iain Patterson to leave GDS

Common Technology Services director is the latest in a long line of departures from the organisation since it has been under new management

GDS is to move to new HQ in June – Photo credit: Derwent London

The director of Common Technology Services at the Government Digital Service, Iain Patterson, is understood to be stepping down.

Patterson took on the role in January 2016, having been working on secondment from GDS as the chief technology office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for the two-and-a-half years prior to that.

His departure, which has been confirmed by the Cabinet Office, is the latest in a long line that began in summer last year when the then director Stephen Foreshew-Cain was replaced with Kevin Cunnington.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Iain Patterson is leaving GDS. We would like to thank him for his valued contribution and wish him success in the future.”

At CTS, Patterson has led efforts to rationalise the number of contracts for technology contracts across government.

Writing last year, he said: “In most cases, this technology can be built or purchased once and then used many times across multiple departments. Unfortunately, the main barrier that prevents departments from investing in these solutions is the contract landscape.”

Cunnington, who had previously been director general of business transformation at the Department for Work and Pensions, has ushered in a range of changes to the line-up of the GDS top team, which is markedly different from this time last year.

As PublicTechnology reported last month, a recent Freedom of Information request revealed the exact makeup of the GDS leadership team under Cunnington and as of 31 March 2016.

The 2016 leadership team was made up of Foreshew-Cain, Patterson, Paul Maltby, Chris Ferguson, Wendy Coello, Alex Holmes, Liam Maxwell and Felicity Singleton.

With Patterson’s departure, there is now only Singleton left working at GDS, who according to LinkedIn remains at the service in her role as engagement director for enabling strategy.

The nine positions in the current leadership team include seven permanent positions: Nic Harrison, director of service design and assurance; Emily Ackroyd and Hazel Hobbs, who job-share the role of director of strategy and engagement; Alex Segrove, deputy director of business operations; and Amy Longdon, the head of the private office.

Two positions are held on an interim basis, with recruitment underway for full-time staff – Arif Harbott as director of the digital, data and technology profession and David Lewis as director for delivery and support.

A Cabinet Office statement given to other trade titles said: “We can confirm that Iain Patterson is leaving GDS. We would like to thank him for his valued contribution and wish him success in the future.”

Rebecca.Hill

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