The hunt for London’s first ever CDO, chief digital officer, has began, with London mayor Sadiq Khan wanting to recruit a qualified candidate to oversee growth in the sector and increase ‘digital inclusion’ across the capital.
Collaboration and adoption of common standards will be a priority for the new CDO, especially around data and service transformation. Support for the Greater London Authority in policy development will also be high on the agenda, as well as to broadly devliver public services in more efficient and accessible ways.
“London is a world-leading hub for digital technology, data science and urban innovation. These technologies have the potential to transform the way that Londoners and visitors experience our city,” said the London Mayor.
“I want to take the digital transformation of our public services to the next level, so we can improve the ways in which we plan and deliver public services for Londoners.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan
“I am delighted to begin my search for a Chief Digital Officer, so we can make London an even smarter smart city and use our incredible technological abilities to the best effect.”
Khan pledged to appoint a CDO as part of his election manifesto, promising that his appointment would champion tech sector growth, cyber security measures and digital inclusion. When appointed, the CDO will work with the Mayor’s Smart London Board and City Hall to draft and deliver the Smart London Strategy, as well as working alongside the Mayor’s Office, London councils and tech firms.
“To really achieve a ‘smart city’ status with the aim of growing and building London’s reputation as the city that the world looks to for leadership in urban innovation, the Mayor needs to encourage a digital first mindset. That means agile ways of thinking, future-proofing public spending on new projects – with digital infrastructure planned in – and also encouraging and launching initiatives for all businesses and organisations within London to embrace digital,” said Dale Lovell, CDO and UK MD at ADYOULIKE.
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“The single most important factor for the success of this role will be the CDO’s ability to be flexible. With the uncertainty of Brexit far from over and an environment of ever changing technology, London’s CDO must be able to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances while putting London’s best interests first.”
London is home to around 40,000 digital tech businesses, with this number forecast to rise by another 12,500 businesses by 2025 according to Oxford Economics.
