The UKtech50: The top 20

As minister for the Cabinet Office, Maude has significant influence over the direction of the central government IT juggernaut. When cuts are announced, they are announced through him, with departmental CIOs watching to see where his gaze will fall next. He has already delivered billions of pounds worth of cuts in government IT, and more are expected.

He has focused on cutting consultancy fees, renegotiating contracts with big IT suppliers and reviewing hundreds of IT projects to see if they are worthy of continued funding.  More recently, the IT strategy announced by the Cabinet Office in March highlighted open source as a key part of the government’s plans and a purchasing priority.