Editorial

Are you confirmed for Think Digital Identity For Government 2020 yet?

A few tickets remain, but the clock’s ticking until doors open for the UK’s best ID show. Don’t miss out!

Posted 27 January 2020 by Gary Flood


It’s only 13 business days left until the UK’s premier ID show, Think Digital Identity For Government 2020, opens its doors in Westminster.

Over 200 delegates are now confirmed as attending, with the vast majority coming to convenient central London conference venue One Great George St from right across both Central and Local Government, with particularly high representation from both Whitehall Departments but also a number of Agencies.

There’s a definite international flavour, too, with delegates travelling from overseas representing public sector organisations from The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland and Ireland.

That global feel is reflected in the choice of speakers, with high-profile names confirmed from the US, Singapore, Sweden and Australia.

The event, sponsored by Accenture, has once again been designed with the needs of the ID practitioner in mind, kicking off with some great keynotes from GlobalData’s Principal Analyst Rob Anderson, ex-GDS and Home Office.

Anderson will be followed on stage by Lisa Barrett, Director for Digital Identity at GDS, who will be explaining to the audience, What will be our lasting contribution to digital ID for this country and the world?

A highlight many of us are already looking forward to is the big Futures Panel session timetabled for the end of the day, which has heavyweight ID and digital government representation including former GDS head and now Director General of the International Government Service Kevin Cunnington and well-known ID practitioner Cheryl Stevens MBE, Deputy Director, Identity & Trust Services, at DWP Digital.

We asked the latter what her feelings were about coming along to help the ID community once again, and were delighted to hear this: “It’s my third year at Think Digital ID, and I think this agenda is the best yet.

“I can’t wait to hear the speakers and visit the expo hall to hear and see the innovations in ID, and where I should be looking next.” 

We’re sure she’s not the only one. So check out the full Think Digital Identity For Government 2020 agenda here, and bios of all of the speakers and their perspectives right across the public and private sectors are available here.

Commenting on the shape of the day, Matt Stanley, Director of the company curating the conference and exhibition, Think Digital Partners, noted that, “We worked closely with Government Departments when creating the agenda so as to ensure we’re covering the topics most important to them not just now, but over the next 12 months, too.

“A particular focus this year is where ID practitioners need help, more information, better ideas and specific procurement needs. It is crucial we get this bit right, of course, so that Think Digital Identity For Government 2020 not only helps the public sector audience but also ensures the vendor community ends up with full visibility into what government needs.

Kevin Cunnington

We’re also very pleased that ID industry membership organisation The Kantara Initiative has chosen once again to support the conference.

Its Executive Director, Colin Wallis, notes that, “Kantara is delighted to support Think Digital Identity again.

As a former civil servant myself, I appreciate the few opportunities available to coalesce around a common problem space in an informal environment. But Think Digital Identity for Government 2020 offers exactly that, supported by a format and agenda to induce conversation that will long outlive this event – probably until the next one!”  

There are just one or two tickets left, so go here to secure your place, which is FREE for qualifying public sector professionals.

And it might still be possible as a vendor to add your voice to the conversation, Stanley told us, if you drop him an email at matt.stanley@thinkdigitalpartners.com.

Hope to see you on Thursday, 13th February, then, to carry on the national – and, it seems, international – ID conversation…