Another day, another departure at GDS - transformation director Beaven leaves

Yet another senior member of GDS resigns, after Mike Bracken's departure to the Co-Operative Group

The exodus at the Government Digital Service has continued, with Michael Beaven stepping down from his role as transformation director to move to a director of digital role at consultancy group Methods Digital.

Since GDS chief Mike Bracken decided to leave the organisation, several senior staff members have followed him out the door. Deputy director Tom Loosemore, director of strategy Russell Davies, and director of design Ben Terrett - all of whom had significant input into the way GDS worked up until now - resigned from their roles. The fact that they quit without first securing new jobs suggests a degree of unhappiness with the direction in which the GDS is heading.

Meanwhile, head of user research Leisa Reichelt returned to Australia to work for the government's Digital Transformation Office, and GDS director of performance and delivery Richard Sargeant moved within government to the Home Office, as director of transformation.

In a LinkedIn post, Beaven said that it had been "four amazing years" at GDS, and that it had "been amazing working with Mike Bracken and being part of the team that has delivered a new world standard in digital for government".

He said that it had been "tough but very rewarding" and added that it was now time for a new chapter.

Beaven said that no one had attempted anything like the breadth of change in government before - and said this wasn't just down to GDS, but people across Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Home Office, Justice, Defra, DWP, HMRC, DVLA and the Cabinet Office.

"[People] who went out on a bit of a limb and took some personal risk to deliver service simpler, clearer and faster," he stated.

Beavan said that GDS is now changing and that new head of GDS, Stephen-Foreshaw-Cain, government CTO Liam Maxwell, and the new lead of the GDS digital group, Chris Ferguson, would be pushing forward with the "mission".

"I will be continuing to give them all the help and support I can," he said.