Public sector digital leaders hailed in Queen's Birthday Honours

Written by Public Technology staff on 20 June 2017 in News

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Leaders from DWP, HMRC and the Parliamentary Digital Service among those honoured

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A raft of public sector digital leaders have earned plaudits in the Queen’s latest Birthday Honours.

The annual list, which was billed by the government as the most diverse ever with 10% of those receiving awards drawn from a black and minority ethnic background, saw a number of names from the sector honoured for their work.

In the big departments, John Archbold, programme manager at HM Revenue and Customs Liverpool was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to digital innovation and the community in Merseyside.

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Meanwhile, Dennis Taylor, a programme management officer working on data science in the Department for Work and Pensions, was named as a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his work with DWP Digital Group, as well as his charitable fundraising.

Loraine Midda, head of member services in the House of Lords for the Parliamentary Digital Service, saw her service - as well as her charitable work for Haven House Children's Hospice - recognised in the Birthday Honours. She was made an MBE.

In the wider sector, Polly Purvis, the chief executive of Scottish tech trade association Scotland IS was named as an OBE for her work in promoting the digital economy north of the border, while Dr Mark Mason, the former CEO of app consultancy Mubaloo, was also made an OBE.

After criticism in the last parliament of the number of political supporters rewarded in the Birthday Honours, this year’s list sought to place a stronger emphasis on public service.

In a statement, the Cabinet Office said: “In total, 74 per cent of awards in the Birthday Honours List will go to people who have undertaken outstanding work in or for their local community, following the Prime Minister’s strategic steer that she would like more honours to go to people really contributing to society and their communities.”