On Thursday, we were proud to sponsor Government Transformation Magazine’s Leaders’ Meet-Up in Westminster. It was an evening of honest, practical conversation about what it really takes to deliver meaningful change across government. A few themes stood out: • Embedding top technical talent accelerates delivery • Lasting impact depends on strong in-house capability, not heavy reliance on contractors • Moving AI from pilots to real outcomes requires better data foundations, clearer scaling pathways, and stronger cross-government collaboration • Many of the biggest barriers are structural and cultural, not technical It was refreshing to hear leaders focus less on hype and more on how to make transformation stick. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion. These are exactly the conversations that move delivery forward. Amul Batra Stephen Dujakovic Betty Burrell Greig Dowling Ayesha P. James #GovernmentTransformation #PublicSector #DigitalDelivery #AI #Counter

Productive and enjoyable evening at the Government Leaders Meet Up exploring digital skills, operationalising AI and building inter departmental capacity. It was insightful to catch up with people I know, including Sarah Williams Eddie Copeland Greig Dowling and to meet new people such as Amul Batra and Stephen Dujakovic. Eoin Mulgrew invited departments to pitch collaboration opportunities and Counter was insightful in supporting and contributing to the discussion. I am keen to connect with teams working on cross department pilots or capability programmes and happy to share lessons from recent work and explore how we might collaborate. #DigitalSkills #AI #PublicSector #GovTech #Collaboration Eoin Mulgrew , Counter , Eddie Copeland Greig Dowling Amul Batra Stephen Dujakovic Government Transformation Magazine

Great event run tonight by . My big takeaway was that AI is actively being used by lots of different organisations now, it's not just a prototype or idea anymore.

#London bound. Coffee fuelled. Day of planning and action for Counter's strategy to deliver on our mission in the capital. We are partnering tonight with Government Transformation Magazine at their Government Leaders Network Social. I'll be taking the opportunity to address the room and explain to them how Counter's mission is so closely aligned with the government's strategic shift to replace 7000 external contractors with permanent DDaT staff. Generating up to £500 million pounds of savings annually. I'll tell them that we are already delivering on this strategy within one of the most prominent government departments. I'll tell them how we haven't just left that department with talented consultants who are now Civil Servants, but people who have already built evergreen systems and processes that they have will now be able to maintain and iterate on as they establish their long serving civil service careers. Can. Not. Wait. Stephen Dujakovic Angela Williams Chris Hill Betty Burrell Greig Dowling Simon Price, PhD Matthew Clarke Julia Howes Eoin Mulgrew James Smith

Last week, GDS was at Government Transformation North; an event bringing together more than 200 senior leaders in digital, data, and delivery from across government to share insight, accelerate transformation, and reimagine the role of the modern state. As the digital centre of government, we were represented by: 👉 Christine Bellamy, Government Chief Product Officer, delivering a keynote about strengthening public trust in digital government. 👉 Chris Chambers,  Programme Director, National Data Library, sharing on delivering major digital and data programmes in government. 👉 Neil Hall, Deputy Director for Platform Capabilities co-hosting a series of roundtable discussions about Service Modernisation; delivering simpler, more inclusive, and more satisfying digital experiences. The event was a great opportunity to bring government and wider public sector together to reflect on the collective challenges we face, and how we can work together to accelerate digital transformation in our public services.

It was great to be at the Government Transformation Magazine conference today in Manchester. It’s really important to have events in the regions and especially relevant as Manchester is the digital thematic campus for UK Civil Service. I was on a panel discussing my experiences on transformation and government efficiency. We have a huge agenda ahead of us but it was great to hear from speakers across the public sector tackling the same challenges as HM Revenue & Customs Janet Hughes gave a fantastic opening and it was great to hear James Mitton and Simon Price, Ph.D. sharing more of HMRC’s transformation story.

Once again I forgot to take any pictures while I was there, but yesterday’s Government Transformation North event was thought provoking, inspiring and energising for our collective missions to transform public services and the value they add for all of us in society. From transformation strategies, to service modernisation, data sharing, AI governance, agentic AI and cross government insight, driving better decision making, it was a pleasure to be in the company of so many excellent colleagues public & private sector alike. Grateful to have had the opportunity to represent Ministry of Justice UK and grateful to Government Transformation Magazine for organising such an exemplary event with a stellar cast of speakers and sponsors.

It was good to connect with colleagues and transformation partners ahead of the main event today & I was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak about the amazing work we are doing in the Civil Service in the North West and our plans for the future.

Epic few days at Government Transformation North. On the panel at the Leaders Dinner and closing panel at the main event sharing our approach in Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to AI and Data strategy, Responsible AI and how I’m approaching strategic priorities as CAIO. Soooo good to give Janet Hughes a squeeze hello and hear her candid enthusiasm and meet new govt leaders delivering great transformation too. Trust came out as a key theme, great round table discussions on AI Case Studies and Responsible AI. I even managed to squeeze in a quick remote presentation to our LCR Innovation Board. Huge thanks to Government Transformation Magazine. More deliberation in my Weeknotes later this week. #AILeadership #ResponsibleAI #AIingovernment

I had the chance to attend the Government Transformation North Summit last Thursday in Manchester, and a few messages really stood out to me as a Data & Analytics professional in the NHS: 1️⃣ Data must be trusted and connected Strong governance, cleaner datasets and fewer siloes are essential for faster, safer decisions in healthcare. 2️⃣ Interoperability is non-negotiable Joined-up systems are the backbone of integrated, patient-centred care. 3️⃣ AI works best when it’s transparent and human-centred Responsible, explainable AI has huge potential but only with the right safeguards and clinical engagement. 4️⃣ Transformation only works when teams collaborate Analysts, clinicians and operational leaders need to shape change together. A great reminder of the direction we need to keep pushing in the NHS: better data, better systems, better outcomes. 🙏 Big thanks to the organisers,Government Transformation Magazine, and to all the speakers, Janet Hughes, James Mitton, Shaukat Ali Khan FBCS, Christine Bellamy, Richard Puttick, John Kelly, Sumitra Varma, Lee Dunn, Ade Bamigboye, Liam Walsh, David Swainston, Simon Short, Joanne Bradshaw, Chris Chambers, Colin Banno-Thornton, Simon Price, Ph.D., Lucia Webster, Kate Caulkin, Ruqaiya Isa ChPP MAPM, Malcolm Casimir, Phillipa Nazari, Frederica Nisha de Silva, Sara Bowley, David Dunbar, Situl Gajjar, Nayyab Naqvi, PhD MBCS, Neil Hall, Verity Hislop, Jane Brine, Dan Tippell MBCS CITP, Molly Adamat, Dean Paulley, Tommaso Spinelli, William Dorrington John Foote, Nigel Bennett, David Mitton, Pete Haddock and participants who made the discussions so insightful including and all those who joined the roundtable sessions.

Heading back to Scotland after an eventful day at Government Transformation North, Manchester. Always good to connect with colleagues from across the UK Civil Service and wider public sector, and to hear about the latest developments on transformation, data and AI. Also good to connect with industry partners. Thanks to Sam Ineson and Sam Parker at Valtech for inviting me to co-host a discussion on AI use cases. Very inspiring and insightful! Government Transformation Magazine Ayesha Peacock

Happy Monday . Last week, I had the opportunity to represent Amazon Web Services (AWS) at the Government Transformation North Summit in Manchester. What a great day !! I co-hosted the Cross Government Data Insights roundtable sessions with Chris Chambers from Government Digital Service, Simon Price, Ph.D. from HM Revenue & Customs, Pritesh Patel at Databricks alongside leaders from Government organisations. A brilliant discussion on how government can accelerate data and AI–driven transformations around Cross Government Insights . Here are the Top 10 Highlight topics of the day: 1️⃣ AI for Data Quality – automating detection of gaps and inconsistencies to build trusted data foundations. 2️⃣ Shared Insight Priorities – aligning on the cross-government metrics that matter most for impact. 3️⃣ National Data Library – a key enabler for consistent, safe, and scalable data sharing. 4️⃣ Amara’s Law – balancing short-term realism with long-term optimism about AI’s potential. 5️⃣ Clear Success Criteria – defining “good enough” early to accelerate delivery and evaluation. 6️⃣ AI Asset Visibility – knowing which models, datasets, and tools exist to reduce duplication. 7️⃣ Operationalising AI – strengthening pipelines, monitoring, and using synthetic data for safe testing. 8️⃣ Incentivising Data Sharing – building cultural and structural motivations to move from silos to collaboration. 9️⃣ Service Definition First – anchoring AI to clear user needs and service outcomes for citizens. 🔟 Improve Internal Data Flows – unlocking early value by fixing interoperability inside departments first. Start with internal Data sharing. A great reminder that transforming citizen services requires collaboration, shared ambition, and strong data foundations. Thanks to some of the great minds we met on the day . Matthew Bottomley Edward Kelly Simon McLellan Katie Goldsmith Lee Spratt Shaukat Ali Khan FBCS Paul Mooney Martha Bennett , and our wonderful AWS colleagues for preparations Joe Reay Deepak Shukla Jon Cook Faye Holt Amazing support from Greig Dowling Tabby Bilborough for being such wonderful hosts and Pritesh Patel for sharing great ideas throughout the day. Upwards and Onwards! 🚀 #aws #generativeai #analytics #databricks #datasharing #insights #publicsector

Leaving my ol' uni stomping ground in Manchester buzzing 🐝 A great couple of days at Government Transformation North discussing the focus on digital and data-driven transformation against the backdrop of the budget. Surprisingly, the B word did not dominate conversations, but it certainly brought into focus the acute need to deliver transformation of services delivered by digital, data and AI. It was a privilege to moderate an enlightening panel at the Leaders dinner with Tiffany St James, Rob Malcomson MBE Today, co-hosting Cross Government Data Insights with Chris Chambers, Simon Price, Ph.D., Harneet Singh, Matthew Bottomley, we were able to bring together views across a number of departments of the interventions needed to realise the compelling opportunities that lay before us to deliver the mission and transform citizen services. It's going to take a concerted effort across the ecosystem to deliver this... let's do it! Finally some great keynotes throughout the day... forgive me for calling out John Kelly & Chris Chambers for detailing what it requires to deliver digital and DATA programmes at scale. Government Transformation Magazine, Neil McIvor, David Mitton, Ignaz Chisuta Fischer, Edward Kelly, Kevin Gray,

Great day at the inaugural #GovernmentTransformationNorth. (Can we start every meeting with an address from Janet Hughes?!) "The average citizen wastes a week and a half of their life every year dealing with government sludge", but Janet reminded us we're all determined to change this. 📈 On the topic of AI as a vehicle for transformation, our own Graham Williamson asked UK Public Sector & industry peers if the lemon was worth the squeeze 🍋🎲 Christine Bellamy brought us back to public #trust being to key to any AI applied to services that matter. 🔒 🔑 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)'s Minister for Transformation, Andrew Western reminded us of how far we've come already with positive change through technology (self-service and paperless approaches on the rise ✔️), and although the mission is daunting, the prize is enormous for all. 🚀 Thank you Government Transformation Magazine, and our wonderful AI Governance roundtable co-hosts, Phillipa Nazari and Richard Puttick. #servicenow #AICT #AIGovernance

A packed few days at Government Transformation Magazine's event in Manchester this week. Great conversation around the tables at Leader's Night, sponsored by Kainos and many other government suppliers. Followed by a day full of human connection, ambition, desire to serve, idea sharing, with the aim of forming partnerships to create amazing digital services that meet citizen needs and save taxpayer money through cross-government collaboration. I particularly liked Richard Baines's presentation on ethical leadership, including this AI generated image representing the challenges in digital delivery, John Kelly's insights into the importance of flexibility and risk when building new platforms, and James Mitton's storytelling on transformation with a purpose. Thank you for hosting Greig Dowling, David Wilde FIoD, FBCS, Assoc CIPD, James S., Tabby Bilborough, Kristian Mower.

Great day at the first Government Transformation conference in Manchester today.

Yesterday, our Chief Technology Officer, William Dorrington 🤘 and our Head of Sales for Central Government, John Foote, joined over 200 senior public sector leaders in Manchester for Government Transformation North. From digital innovation and data‑driven decision making to the role of AI in government, the conversations were all about one thing: creating positive change for citizens. We facilitated a set of round table discussions on Agentic AI adoption in the Public Sector, bringing together participants from across Government to examine trust and confidence, responsible AI frameworks, responsible architectural practices, barriers to adoption, and the role of improved data practice, including data access and sharing, in enabling meaningful use cases. For Kerv, it was inspiring to connect with peers to share ideas, and see how innovative collaboration, technology, and data are powering the next chapter of public service delivery. 👏 A huge thank you to the organisers and everyone we met for the engaging discussions - with a special thanks to our co-hosts Tommaso Spinelli and Nayyab Naqvi for helping make the sessions such a success. We’re excited to keep building on this momentum and supporting the public sector in its transformation journey. Government Transformation Magazine Katherine Mullard Sabina Kuzmiakova Gareth Dowsett #GovernmentTransformation #PublicSectorInnovation #AgenticAI #TechForGood #AIEnablement

Had a great day at #GovernmentTransformationNorth, co‑facilitating round tables on agentic AI and data with Nayyab Naqvi, PhD MBCS, William Dorrington 🤘 and John Foote (Kerv). Big thanks to Chris Bellamy for sharing sharp insights on building public trust in digital services, and to Andrew Western, Minister for Transformation (DWP), for his perspective on driving change across government. Great to hear Martha Bennett (Forrester)'s inspirational talk on AI and Amara's law. Lots of energy in the room and plenty of ideas to take forward! Thanks for another wonderful event!

Honoured to co-host the Service Modernisation discussion at Government Transformation Magazine I shared our team's journey in MoJ Data Engineering, growing from a small team of 5 to over 60 talented engineers. We spoke about how we rebuilt our capability frameworks, secured GDD-approved Analytical Engineering roles, and strengthened collaboration across the directorate. Our Collaboration & Engagement Squad and Centre of Excellence have been fundamental in driving culture, learning and capability uplift across MoJ. It was also fantastic to hear from various speakers across government departments about their progress in data and AI, the challenges they’re navigating, and the innovative ways they’re driving transformation. A great opportunity to meet experts from across the sector and connect with people doing brilliant work in their areas. The discussions were honest, challenging and deeply insightful. It was particularly valuable to understand how different departments are tackling similar issues, from data foundations and governance to talent, operating models, and cross-functional delivery. A great opportunity to reflect on our progress and share our successes with the wider community. Thank you, Government Transformation Magazine, for another well-organised and successful event for the sector, with a joining-up lens. #DigitalTransformation #ProcessImprovement #GenerativeAI #LocalGovernment #ChangeManagement #RedTeaming #AgenticAI #UKPublicSector #CollaborationEngagementSquad #CenterofExcellence

Great start do the very first Government Transformation north Conference. Launching the event during leaders night, and today some round table discussions about how we can work together across sectors. A great chance to collaborate and something pleased we could support. Joanne Bradshaw did a sterling job covering the work we do in the region and what we have planned for 2026. #headofplace #collaboration