Joanna R. describes the transformation of working culture needed to transform government, including dumping the organisational siloes which create duplication and slow everything down. Empowered multi-disciplinary teams are the way forward - and including cyber security colleagues right from the start makes things go even faster! 👏👏👏

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend the Government Transformation Leaders’ Night at the historic Church House, Westminster, as a guest of Oracle, joined by over 100 public sector leaders from across the UK and beyond. It was an insightful evening of discussion and reflection, in the very room where the first Parliament once sat. The keynote from Christine Bellamy, Chief Product Officer at HM Government, was deeply thought-provoking, as was the State of Digital Leadership in Government panel featuring Honey Dacanay (Director General, Digital Policy, Government of Canada), Julian David OBE (CEO techUK), Nick Bolton (CEO Ordnance Survey), and Richard Davies (UK Country Managing Partner, Netcompany). One idea that keeps ringing true consistently: Technology isn’t a project – it’s a process. It is continuous, cultural, and connected. I first started working with government on the RM project for DWP (Oracle HRMS implementation), then on the Central Payment System, Europe’s largest Oracle Financials implementation at the time, and eventually Universal Credit. Alongside private sector clients, I’ve supported digital initiatives at MoJ, MoD, HMRC, BEIS, DfE, Shared Services and beyond, as well as worked with governments internationally. Public Sector transformation is something I’m very familiar with and have seen evolve over the years. However, the conversations last night made it clear: we’re not just delivering digital services anymore – we’re preparing for a digital generation. Enter Gen Alpha (born after 2010) a digitally native generation, who don’t typically browse the internet or use Google the way previous generations do. Their world is built on AI, automation, and immersive content, and they’re growing up in a globally connected environment. Their first point of information may well be a trusted circle of friends, influencers and AI-driven tools. As service designers and delivery leaders, we have to keep evolving, building services that are not just accessible, but truly aligned with how the next generation lives and thinks. Big changes are yet to come and public services must be prepared to meet them. Thank you to the lovely Fiona McAdoo and Oracle team for the invitation, and to everyone who made the evening such a valuable experience.

We’re at the Government Transformation Summit hosted by the Government Transformation Magazine! Today we are exploring effective transformation strategy and practice behind driving meaningful change in government. Change leaders have come together to discuss transformation strategy, implementing and harnessing the power of data and AI, delivering service modernisation, knowledge sharing and user-centric design and experience. Our Client Directors, Sarah Doherty-David and Danielle McCarter, are chairing the Change Management Roundtable, exploring the importance of people and culture in driving meaningful change within government organisations. They are joined by change leaders, Sarah Ormerod - Programme Director, Passport Transformation Programme, Home Office, and Madelaine Simpkin - Deputy Director, Corporate Transformation, DWP. Together, they’re exploring how to drive meaningful, people-centred change in government. At Grayce, we believe successful transformation is rooted in strong leadership, open communication, and the right talent to deliver lasting impact. If you’re passionate about Change Management, we’d love to hear from you! Discover how Grayce can support your transformation journey with our model.

🙏 A big thank you to everyone who joined us at yesterday’s Government Transformation Summit! It was a brilliant day filled with thought-provoking discussions on the power of digital transformation to revolutionise public services, enhance citizen experiences, and drive economic growth across the UK. The energy in the room was inspiring, and it’s clear that we’re at a pivotal moment for change in the public sector. Here are just a few of the standout moments and key takeaways from the day: 🌟 Andrew Western MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transformation at DWP, delivered a compelling keynote on Delivering More with Digital, Data and AI. 📢 One of the most striking insights: 1 in 10 Civil Servants will be in digital roles by 2030. This highlights the scale of transformation ahead - and the urgent need to build digital capability across government. At GRAYCE, we’re proud to be part of the solution, helping to plug the digital skills gap and develop a workforce ready for the 4th industrial revolution. 🌟 Joanna R., Director General for the Customer Services Group at the Home Office, posed the powerful question: “Is Government Ready?” 📢 Her reflections on the importance of talent, innovation, and creating the right structures for success really resonated. At Grayce, we believe in the power of early-career professionals and our Accelerated Development Model is designed to nurture that talent - creating professional spaces for learning, growth, and innovation. It was fantastic to hear leaders like Joanna championing the need for freedom to innovate and the value of investing in people. 🌟 James Mitton, Director General for Enterprise Transformation at HMRC, shared his perspective on how to embed a truly agile mindset across government. 📢 Everything is legacy given today’s pace of change. To keep up, we must make failure cheap, hire people who think differently, and trust good people to deliver. This aligns perfectly with Grayce’s belief that early-career professionals bring the creativity, adaptability, and fresh thinking needed to drive transformation from the ground up. 👏 A huge thank you to all the speakers, panelists, and everyone who joined our roundtable discussions. It’s a fascinating time to be supporting change and transformation across the public sector!

Some thoughts from my day held yesterday in London with Citizen Experience. After a great Leader's Night in my head, we kicked off with Home Office and Honey D particularly with my cu The rest of the morning was hosted by Mark Dunwell N (Service Design), Unit4 Ka Service Race Forum (Open and Liam Walsh (Implemen Some key takeaways for m Strategic digital investm The Summit opened with a AI are now mission-critical change. It was fantastic to thinking at the heart of so AI in action From case studies to round production. Champions ind Citizen-first design Speakers reiterated: don’t Data interoperability & Cross-government data-sh —highlighting the importa Modern workplace & c Hybrid working, digital too agreed that internal cultur

On Monday night, I had the privilege of attending the Government Transformation Magazine Leaders Night. It was fantastic to join over 100 leaders from across the public and private sectors to share insight, accelerate transformation, and reimagine the role of the modern state. The keynote from Christine Bellamy, Chief Product Officer at HM Government was both inspiring and a clear call to action – challenging us to lead with purpose, embrace change and design for lasting impact. Key themes included: The responsibility of leadership to continually challenge ourselves – questioning the status quo and driving meaningful change. The need to foster greater innovation – not just through technology, but by rethinking how we collaborate, deliver services, and empower people. A bold focus on future generations – and the importance of building services that earn and sustain their trust. A big thank you to our table – John Fitzpatrick, Andrew Pearce, Ade Bamigboye, Selina Holliday, Andy Tyack and Richard Baines- for the great conversation, insights and laughs throughout the evening!