Image source: BCS
Daljit Rehal, chief digital and information officer for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), has been announced as the new president of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
He takes over from Alastair Revell, who will remain active as immediate past president.
Sarah Winmill, head of software products at the Ministry of Defence, has been named as deputy president.
Rehal said: “Chartered professionals – which ever industry they work in – make a public commitment to ethics, competence and accountability by meeting independent standards. Nowhere is that more important in technology where AI is woven into our lives like never before in areas from health to finance.
“My focus as BCS president will continue this theme - helping to build public trust in the value of tech professionals, and their ongoing development in roles across the public and private sector.
“We know that the AI Opportunities Action Plan aims to create tens of thousands of new AI professionals by 2030, and we will need a range of routes to get there from university degrees to apprenticeships, as well as prioritising diversity. It will be a huge year for the professional body and for our membership community.”
Powerful voice
Revell commented: “Daljit’s experience’s gives our community a powerful voice at time when public confidence in the transformational power of technology is vital.
“We can be proud to have the combined experience and insight of both Daljit and Sarah to call on to represent our values and mission to make IT good for society.”
Winmill said: “I look forward to supporting Daljit in continuing to build public trust in the professionalism of our membership and in inspiring a new generation of technologists with the technical skills and capability to balance ethics and accountability whilst making best use of emerging technologies.”
BCS, which has around 70,000 members, said that in 2025 it will remain focused on: the importance of professional standards in building public trust in technology; the need to broaden computing education and adult digital skills; and the value of diversity and inclusion across the sector, where women, over 50s and people with disabilities or who are neurodivergent are under-represented.
