Ailsa Beaton and Ian Watmore to join ICO board

Experienced duo to join data privacy watchdog for three-year term in 2014

Ian Watmore, former Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office, and Ailsa Beaton, who retired recently as Director of Information at the Metropolitan Police Force, have both been appointed to the Management Board at the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Both will join from next year for a three-year term, with Watmore set to become a member of the ICO's audit committee.

Watmore stepped down from his role as permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office in May 2012 and previously filled the role of government CIO. Beaton, meanwhile, was director of information at the Metropolitan Police until November 2012 when she stepped down after 12 years with the force.

Both claimed that their public-sector IT experience would be ideal for their new roles.

"Most of my career has been concerned with the effective use of information; balancing privacy and security with utility and transparency has been a key component. This role, working with the Information Commissioner and his team, brings an exciting new dimension to that experience," said Beaton.

Watmore, meanwhile, said: "Data protection and transparency are topics about which I am passionate, especially in the digital age, and I look forward to working with the Information Commissioner and his team over the next three years."