Ex-Government Digital Service (GDS) chief Mike Bracken has set up a business providing consultancy to global governments with three of his former colleagues.
Bracken left the Cabinet Office earlier this year, quickly followed out the door by GDS deputy director Tom Loosemore, director of strategy Russell Davies and director of design Ben Terrett.
All four subsequently joined the senior digital team at the Co-Operative on a part-time basis, and will now offer their experience to help governments around the world transform their digital services.
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A statement on the website of the quartet’s new company – which will be named public.digital – said:
“We transformed digital delivery for the UK government. Now we're working outside the UK - helping governments, public institutions, transnational organisations and political leaders do the same.
“We have expertise in leadership, strategy, transformation and design.”
Speaking to website Global Government Forum about the new venture, Bracken said the team has been talking to governments in the USA, Australia, Finland, Sweden and Canada.
He said that the company aims to “see governments start again with a digital approach to delivery of services; to strengthen the democratic engagement with citizens – we won’t work with certain governments; and to bring the best of the internet generation, with all its values, into the heart of government".
Bracken joined government in July 2011, and spent the first several months in Government creating the (GDS) aimed at joining up disparate government digital services."
Shortly before his departure, the service was given responsibility for developing digital services for local government.
Prior to joining the Cabinet Office, Bracken worked as director of digital development at Guardian News & Media. Last week, the government defied expectations by almost doubling the budget for the Government Digital Service.