Mike Potter’s departure leads to changes at the CDDO

The government is making changes at the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), following the departure of chief digital officer (CDO) Mike Potter. He took on the role of government CDO in September 2022 and left the role in September 2024, following two years at the helm of the CDDO.

While the government sources a replacement for Potter, government chief technology officer (CTO) David Knott is in charge of CDDO leadership responsibilities, while CDDO executive director Gina Gill is covering Potter’s remit as head of profession to the digital and data function across government.

Knott joined the CDDO in the second half of 2023 from Boston Consulting Group where he was an expert partner, while Gill was the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) chief digital and innovation officer until she joined the CDDO seven months ago.

The CDDO was set up in 2021 as the strategic centre for digital data and technology across government. Originally part of the Cabinet Office, it moved to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) following the 2024 election as part of the Labour government’s revamp of DSIT.

The departure of Potter means that the CDDO will see its third leader soon, nearly four years after its creation. Potter replaced Joanna Davinson, who was the first executive director of CDDO. The appointment of Whitehall IT veteran Potter saw him return to the civil service after a few years in the private sector.

However, Potter has always been known for his government IT jobs. In 2018, he was director of EU exit capability at the Cabinet Office, responsible for overseeing the digital aspects of the UK’s departure from the European Union.

Prior to that, he was director of the Future Border programme at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) from October 2017, where he was in charge of the department’s border technology plans, following a stint as interim chief digital and information officer, and two years as digital transformation director.

At HMRC, he was also involved in the development of the Making Tax Digital programme. Previously, he was executive director of business transformation at NHS Blood and Transplant, where he oversaw the growth of the Blood.co.uk website from 35,000 to more than half a million users.

Commenting on his departure, a DSIT spokesperson said: “Mike contributed hugely to innovation across government in his role. We thank him for his efforts.”

There has been some noise lately around the possibility of the CDDO merging with the Government Digital Service (GDS), following former Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude’s review of the civil service. Maude’s review into the civil service said that keeping the two organisations separate has caused accountability and governance to become fragmented.

The review said that the separation creates “a largely artificial split between functional leadership and delivery”, adding: “The lack of a unified organisational structure degrades the strength of leadership that can be provided by the centre, and absorbs significant amounts of officials’ time in brokering internal coordination rather than delivery.”