George Tunnicliffe

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK in 2026.

George Tunnicliffe is a strategic technology leader operating at the intersection of technology innovation, AI and digital transformation - with a proven track record across diverse sectors and scales.

George excels at translating complex technical landscapes into resilient strategic partnerships that drive organisational growth. Leveraging expertise in Azure, AWS, and on-premise architecture complemented by technical and leadership certifications, he is passionate about evolving technical teams into high-impact, collaborative business partners through modern methodology and a focus on operational excellence.

What's the most exciting part of your current role?

Delivering new capabilities to a platform that has real impact for clients and, as part of our Profit-for-Purpose remit, real impact on the world at large.

What do you do in week one of a new project to avoid pain in month six?

Documentation, documentation, documentation. It's the least glamourous part of development and delivery but really helps people collaborate, support each other and, when it's falling apart, lessens the cognitive load.

What’s the part of your estate you most want to simplify in 2026?

Simplifying data usage to maximise its impact across the organisation and its clients.

Excluding smartphones, what piece of technology could you not live without and why?

The overhead cable system at a cable wakeboarding park! It's simple technology that brings me hours of fun (and learning!).

What excites you most about the future of IT?

Definitely the power of technology to support people to solve problems; watching the impact of technology on people solving real world problems is amazing. Things like making the world more accessible (Apple Hearing Assistance) to supporting people (Dyson Farming) to using data to disrupt human trafficking (Stop the Traffik).

There is so much good going on that is sometimes hard to see in the midst of negativity.

What talent are you quietly proud of that would never show up on LinkedIn?

I'm quietly proud of my enjoyment of learning history, both modern and ancient. The historical trivia can also always be useful in pub quizzes!

What’s your most-used keyboard shortcut or command that you wish everyone knew?

Using the CTRL key makes the mouse ping so it can be seen on screen sharing (needs enabling on mouse options...)!