The government’s new chief data officer Aimee Smith has begun work in Whitehall having joined the civil service from London’s Metropolitan Police Service.
A brief biography for the new CDO (pictured above) has recently been published on GOV.UK, outlining the duties of the role, which includes “leading the Government Digital Service data strategy to improve data maturity throughout its lifecycle”.
“She works closely with chief data officers across government to drive innovation and champion better access to data, supporting more informed decision-making and improved public services,” the online bio adds.
“Aimee is a data specialist and before joining GDS, was at the Metropolitan Police Service, where she served as director of data and co-chaired the National Police Data and Analytics Board.”
Recruitment for the post took place this summer, with potential candidates offered a salary of between £100,000 and £175,000, depending on their levels of experience.
While the hiring process took place, Ministry of Defence data leader Lindsay Mason was installed as government CDO on an interim basis.
Smith has now begun work as the permanent holder of the role, having taken the job following what she described in a LinkedIn post as “the hardest decision of my career” to leave the Met after 25 years with the London police service.
“The new role is an incredible opportunity, and I’m genuinely excited to take over leadership of a talented team within DSIT as we continue to drive innovation and deliver real impact through data and technology,” the post added.
The new CDO said that her new position came with objectives that are “clear and ambitious”, including an ambition to cultivate a “data-centric culture” as well as driving the delivery of a new “government-wide data strategy”.
Other targets for the incoming CDO include a goal to “set and uphold data standards… champion data access and sharing… [and] modernise systems and governance”.
The previous permanent appointment as government chief data officer, Craig Suckling, arrived in Whitehall from Amazon Web Services but, after less than a year as a civil servant, left government in early 2025 to take a job at another major tech firm: Capgemini.