V3.co.uk readers slam government's CIO choice

The majority of V3.co.uk readers think that the government's appointment of Joe Harley as its new chief information officer (CIO) was a bad move, with over a third believing that the job should have gone to someone from the private sector.

The latest V3.co.uk poll casts significant doubt on the Cabinet Office appointment of John Suffolk's successor last month, revealing that just 16 per cent approve of the appointment.

In his new role, Harley will chair the public sector-wide CIO Council and participate in all new CIO appointments in central government, reporting to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude and government chief operating officer Ian Watmore.

However, over a third of V3.co.uk readers indicated that John Suffolk's replacement should come from the private sector.

Harley is director general and CIO at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and is taking on the additional responsibility as central government CIO.

A quarter of V3.co.uk readers thought that the role of CIO should be done away with altogether, echoing calls in the past which have maintained that the job should be split into several departmentally focused roles.

On the same theme, some 22 per cent of readers said that Harley will have his hands full with his current duties at the DWP, while just 16 per cent think that he has the right credentials to succeed.