New head of digital and data profession appointed to UK government
By Jack Aldane on 13/08/2026 | Updated on 13/08/2026
DCMS permanent secretary Susannah Storey, pictured welcoming Ian Murray to the department as minister of state in 2025. Photo: DCMS Flickr
Susannah Storey, permanent secretary of DCMS, replaces Emran Mian as head of the profession following shake-up of digital organisations – plus, the Government Digital Service searches for chief IT operations officer
Susannah Storey, the permanent secretary of the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been appointed head of profession for government digital and data.
The move follows a government shake-up instigated by prime minister Andy Burnham when he took office last month. This included abolishing the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), most of whose functions and units – including the Government Digital Service – will move to a revamped DCMS.
Storey replaces Emran Mian, who will remain permanent secretary of DSIT until its closure, as head of the government digital and data profession.
Storey has led DCMS since June 2023, shortly after the department lost its digital brief under then PM Rishi Sunak. Prior to her current role, she was director general for digital technologies and telecoms at DSIT.
She has also held director general roles at DCMS and the Department for Exiting the European Union, and other senior roles at UK Government Investments and what were then known as the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
In a post about Storey’s appointment on LinkedIn, the Government Digital Service (GDS) said its mission remained “unchanged”, and that it would continue “working together to build modern digital services that make people’s lives better”.
Read more: New UK prime minister unveils plan to ‘rewire government’ on first day in post
GDS hunts for chief IT operations officer
Meanwhile, GDS has begun the search for a chief IT operations officer.
In the official job advert, government said it wanted someone with “deep and broad experience of implementing, running and maintaining critical systems” as well as “a proven track record in delivering large, high-profile capital programmes and services in complex environments”.
Also critical were “negotiation [and] persuasion” techniques to “build strong relationships to proactively solve problems”, it said.
The successful candidate will be expected to develop what the job advert described as “the core strategy” for IT in government, as well as work with departments to “align strategies” across Whitehall.
Other priorities will include joining up public sector services; harnessing the power of AI for the public good; strengthening and extending digital and data public infrastructure; elevating leadership and investing in talent; funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation; and committing to transparency and driving accountability.
The appointee would also be expected to engage with industries to build partnerships and gather “new insights and expertise” that can be used to inform the government’s roadmaps. They will also need to make the case for “investment in common capabilities and transformational technologies”.
The role comes with an annual pay packet of between £86,000 and £117,800 (US$116,000 and US$159,000), and applications close on 31 August.
Read more: Leadership – the critical digital lever for governments
