Photos and biographies for use in event programmes, websites and promotion.
Photos #
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Biographies #
50 words #
Andrew Besford is a digital leader, independent consultant and non-executive director, with over 25 years’ experience across the private sector, central government and the NHS. He chairs the digital committee at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, and led the development of the UK Government Transformation Strategy.
100 words #
Andrew Besford is a digital leader, independent consultant and non-executive director, with over 25 years’ experience across the private sector, central government and the NHS. He chairs the digital committee at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, and in 2025 authored the report A Fresh Mandate for Digital Leadership in the NHS. As a senior civil servant he shaped the digital future of the Department for Work and Pensions and led the development of the UK Government Transformation Strategy. Earlier he was one of the founders of a startup that was acquired by Vodafone.
250 words #
Andrew Besford is a digital leader, independent consultant and non-executive director, with over 25 years’ experience across the private sector, central government and the NHS. He works with complex organisations to change how they operate through better use of technology and data.
As a consultant, he works across large private sector organisations and complex public systems on technology-enabled business transformation, helping them modernise services and deliver sustained change while staying secure. He also works with smaller organisations that provide services into them.
In the NHS, Andrew is a non-executive director at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, where he chairs the board’s digital committee. Before that he spent six years in the same role at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, one of the UK’s top performing trusts. In 2025 he authored the report A Fresh Mandate for Digital Leadership in the NHS.
Andrew spent five years as a senior civil servant. He was responsible for shaping and delivering the digital future of the Department for Work and Pensions, the UK’s largest public service delivery organisation. As a deputy director in the Government Digital Service, he led the development of the UK Government Transformation Strategy.
Earlier in his career he worked in software and technology across the USA, the Caribbean, Australia, South Africa and Europe, including major programmes in the mobile and telecoms industry. He was one of the founders of a startup that was acquired by Vodafone in 2006.
He holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge.