The new government CIO should have private sector
experience and IT leadership skills involving business processes
and people, industry figures have said.
The Cabinet Office is about to begin interviewing for a
replacement for Ian Watmore, who left the CIO post in January to
head up the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit.
Despite progress made under Watmore, the government could still
benefit from someone with experience of managing IT and process
change in the private sector, said David Roberts, chief executive
of the Corporate IT Forum, whose members include IT leaders from
FTSE 100 firms.
"Government's decision making process is sloppy and slow and its
procurement leaves a lot to be desired," he said.
There were many parallels between large organisations and the
government, but the government could learn from the faster decision
making processes of the private sector, Roberts added.
Phillip Virgo, strategic advisor at the Institute for the
Management of Information Systems, said the successful candidate
should have both public and private sector experience. "The key
thing is that they should have experience in both sectors in
handling complex relationships."
Although the role may not require an IT background specifically,
the individual would need enough IT expertise and experience to
have credibility with the CIO Council, Virgo said.