Thu 15 Feb 2024
Our Women in Public Technology conference is on 27 March. As the inaugural event fast approaches, we look at the milestone contributions of Megan Lee-Devlin (left) and Amie Alekna (right), inspiring female leaders in the sector
The public technology sector in the UK is at a critical juncture. Innovation intersects with public service, and the decisions made today have ever-lasting impacts on our communities. In a field traditionally dominated by men, women are breaking barriers, leading the charge towards a brighter technological future.
Women like Megan Lee Devlin from the Central Digital and Data Office (CCDO) and Amie Alekna from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), are paving the way to greater diversity, inclusion, and innovation in their organisations powered by resilience, expertise, and determination. Their commitment to tackling the challenges of today and tomorrow serves as an inspiration to us all.
Megan Lee Devlin has been in charge of the government's CDDO since September 2022 — a promotion from her role as chief strategy & transformation officer, which she held since joining the Cabinet Office-based CDDO in June 2021.
Lee Devlin announced her departure from the CDDO in February this year, but her contributions will be remembered. For the past two years, she has been responsible for the leadership of the 26,000-strong digital profession across government departments and organisations and oversight of £50bn+ spend annually.
Digital future
The CDDO, which was spun out of the Government Digital Service (GDS) in 2021, was created to spearhead digital transformation in government and is responsible for the government's Transforming for a Digital Future Roadmap 2025. Lee Devlin led the development of the government's three-year digital and data strategy, which she described as a plan to release £3bn of taxpayer efficiencies and improve the user experience of 60m+ people. She also secured a multi-billion investment for delivery.
The digital transformation described in the strategy has been happening outside the Cabinet Office for a while across the civil service. The digital, data and technology profession (DDaT) is comprised of 27,000 people, the vast majority employed by government departments and agencies.
In the last few years, digital technology has become more evident as an essential aspect of every business, including the government. Colleagues across different disciplines, senior leaders, and ministers now better understand, appreciate, and scrutinise the work done in this field. To Lee Devlin, "digital is everyone's business".
In an exclusive interview with our sister company PublicTechnology, Lee Devlin explained the importance of senior leadership.
"Leaders are absolutely crucial in delivering our aims to transform HMG," she said. "There are three core roles that leaders play in supporting this agenda; first, putting the conditions and culture in place for their teams to operate effectively – whether that be to experiment, or to operate iteratively using agile principles, or to work in a multidisciplinary team to deliver outcomes that improve the lives and livelihoods of the public. The second is making sure that they have the right capabilities in their teams, whether they are development skills, core tech capabilities, or analytical skills. And then, thirdly, leaders play a crucial role in role modelling curiosity about new and emerging technologies, and different ways of working, and their potential impact on government and the communities we serve."
Cyber leaders
Amie Alekna is another woman in public technology, paving the way for female leaders in the sector. She is the director of security and information at the MoJ and is passionate about diversity and inclusion. And speaking at a sister event, Alekna revealed both her technology expertise and leadership prowess.
She explained that the MoJ has its own in-house offensive security unit, commonly called 'the red team', which proactively looks for vulnerabilities and weaknesses before hackers find them. The red team, Alekna said, "is certainly one of the first in a government department" and revealed its experts had performed an audit of Windows passwords across the department – and was able to crack 10,000 passwords in under two hours using less than £2,000 worth of computer hardware.
She admitted that for red teamers and other security professionals, advising co-workers of the perils of using all-too-easily guessable passwords and reminding them of their other security responsibilities can be mildly awkward for both parties. But Alekna insisted that cyber leaders should be prepared to engage in tricky conversations to address the biggest risks and those that may be most deeply rooted in an organisation's operations.
An advocate of female leadership, she has discussed the challenges and stereotypes women face in the workplace, particularly the need to adopt masculine traits to succeed.
In her blog celebrating International Women's Day, she speaks about the imposter syndrome and how it can be used to label women who don't conform to masculine-biased social styles. To Alekna, it is important to build a culture that doesn't make anyone feel like an imposter rather than asking individuals to change who they are to fit in. She also encourages people to be authentic and collaborative while being comfortable with making difficult decisions when necessary.
Female leadership in the spotlight
The inaugural conference Women in Public Technology, on 27 March, will put the spotlight on leading women in the sector, their accomplishments, strategies, and insights into breaking glass ceilings and overcoming the barriers holding women back from leadership positions.
Their journeys, accomplishments, and forward-thinking approaches are a testament to the transformative power of inclusive leadership in shaping our digital future.
Register today for Women in Public Technology, and you will gain a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape, and how diversity in leadership enhances innovation, fosters creativity, and leads to more effective, people-centric technological solutions.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Nimmi Patel, Head of Skills, Talent and Diversity, techUK
- Vanessa Vallely OBE, Chief Executive Officer, WeAreTheCity & WeAreTechWomen
- Anita Jakhu, Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Consultant
- Cath Baxter, Professional Voice and Public Speaking Consultant
Register to attend
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