Cabinet Office confirms government CIO's departure

Government CIO John Suffolk will leave his post by the end of the year

The Cabinet Office has confirmed government chief information officer (CIO) John Suffolk is to leave his post by the end of the year.

Ian Watmore, the chief operating officer for the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG), is taking over the reins until further notice, reprising a role he held in the early part of the decade before leaving to head up the Football Association.

"I am immensely proud of the way we have supported the new coalition government in its first six months and have greatly enjoyed working with Francis Maude and his team," said Suffolk in a statement.

His departure has been widely anticipated.

"We'd long suspected that he would prefer not to spend another four years in the role and might take the opportunity to hand the baton to someone new once the coalition government had bedded in," said Tola Sargeant, research director with analyst group TechMarketView.

Sargeant added that Suffolk's replacement would likely be an ally of Watmore, given how close the government CIO and ERG would have to work together.

One candidate fitting that criteria would be Andrew Stott, currently the director for digital engagement. Stott was Watmore's deputy CIO within the e-government unit back in 2004, and had previously been tipped as his successor prior to Suffolk's appointment.