Andy Beale joins list of senior officials to leave after regime change at Government Digital Service
Another senior official is leaving the Government Digital Service (GDS), with chief technology officer Andy Beale planning to leave at the turn of the year.
He is the latest to move on following the sudden replacement of Stephen Foreshew-Cain by Kevin Cunnington in August.
Janet Hughes, who led the GOV.UK Verify programme, left a few days after Foreshew-Cain, and Paul Maltby, director of data, said earlier this month that he plans to leave. Along with Beale’s impending departure, this has fuelled talk about the growing influence of a group of advisers brought in under the new regime.
Beale has only been in the post since April, when his predecessor Liam Maxwell moved into the role of national technology adviser. But it has been said that he initially took it on for a six-month period while considering future options.
Guiding strategy
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "Andy Beale will continue to work at GDS until the New Year and help Kevin Cunnington and the rest of the team guide GDS's future strategy. We are grateful to him for everything he has done at GDS to shape a digital future for everyone.
"Kevin will work with the rest of the team and across government, to decide how to replace Andy's expertise and deliver the GDS mission to support, enable and assure all transformation work across government."
Beale’s most high profile contribution has been to lead the work on the update of the Technology Code of Practice, with which departments have to comply to win GDS approval for any projects valued at £100,000 upwards. The new version includes fresh elements on accessibility and the sharing and reuse of project documentation.
Image from GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
