NTT DATA CEO: UK entering new era of digital government

The UK public sector stands at an inflection point in its digital transformation journey, according to Niccolo Spataro, CEO of NTT DATA UK & Ireland.

After more than a decade of building digital capability across government, emerging technologies are opening new possibilities for service delivery, productivity and citizen experience. Spataro (pictured) believes the moment represents both an opportunity and a responsibility for technology partners supporting government.

“Civil servants have spent the last 15 years building the foundations for reformed digital and data services. Now emerging technologies – most obviously AI – are rapidly easing the process of transformation. We’re on the brink of seeing some really fast progress,” he told Think Digital Partners.

As NTT DATA expands its UK public sector operations, Spataro said he has identified three areas where the greatest opportunities for digital government now lie: modernising legacy IT estates, unlocking the value of public sector data, and deploying AI and automation to improve services.

Tackling the legacy challenge

Across government and the NHS, ageing systems remain one of the most persistent barriers to digital transformation.

Many departments continue to rely on complex legacy environments that are expensive to maintain and increasingly difficult to secure or adapt. According to Spataro, addressing this issue is both a cost and resilience priority.

“The transformation of government’s legacy IT estate is fundamental. Migration to the cloud, adoption of modern business models, and the shift to shared platforms and services can reduce operating costs – but just as importantly, they strengthen resilience,” he said.

Legacy technology, he added, presents growing strategic risk as systems age and vulnerabilities accumulate.

“Given their creeping obsolescence, complexity and exposure to cyber threats, legacy systems represent a real challenge for public sector organisations.”

Replacing fragmented systems with integrated digital platforms is already showing results. Spataro points to recent work replacing multiple departmental case management systems with a single integrated platform designed around citizen needs.

The result, he says, is not just technical efficiency but improved services.

“By bringing services together on a single platform, organisations can tailor services around individuals and improve the overall citizen experience.”

Building a data-driven public sector

The second major opportunity lies in how government uses its vast stores of data.

Public bodies already hold enormous amounts of information, but too often it remains siloed across systems and organisations.

“Government can make far better use of its data. That means marshalling and managing information to create stable foundations for services, joining up services around the user, and strengthening evidence-based decision-making,” said Spataro.

Secure data platforms are playing an increasingly important role in this shift. NTT DATA is currently working with NHS organisations to build secure data environments designed to support planning, research and clinical service improvement.

These kinds of initiatives, said Spataro, demonstrate how better data infrastructure can support both operational efficiency and better outcomes.

Responsible AI at scale

For Spataro, responsible innovation must sit at the centre of government AI programmes.

“Our goal is to positively impact society through responsible innovation. That means ensuring the technologies we design and deploy are ethical, secure and trusted,” he said.

NTT DATA, said Spataro, has embedded governance frameworks and ethical principles into its AI work for many years, helping organisations deploy AI in ways that are transparent and accountable.

In the public sector, this has included projects ranging from healthcare research to administrative productivity. One example is an AI-powered radiology analysis service developed with the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust to support cancer research. Another is a correspondence drafting tool for a Justice client, which is designed to improve communications with service users.

Another example is the Civil Service AI & Data Challenge, an innovation programme delivered in partnership with the Cabinet Office, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and the Global Government Forum.

The initiative invites civil servants to submit ideas for applying AI and data technologies in government. Selected teams receive support to develop and implement their concepts. This year, 252 ideas were submitted – a 160 percent increase on the previous year.

“The enthusiasm from civil servants to realise the potential of AI is really clear,” said Spataro.

Infrastructure, sovereignty and sustainability

As cloud adoption grows and AI workloads expand, public sector organisations are increasingly concerned about issues such as data sovereignty, resilience and environmental impact. NTT DATA operates three datacentres in the UK designed specifically to address these concerns.

“These facilities are built to keep sensitive data within the UK, with architectures that support sovereign and private cloud models,” said Spataro. “Because we control that infrastructure, we can guarantee data sovereignty – something that is becoming increasingly important for government organisations.”

Resilience is also a core priority, with facilities engineered to withstand threats ranging from extreme weather to power disruption.

Sustainability is another focus area, particularly given the energy demands associated with AI computing.

Globally, NTT DATA has committed to achieving net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions across its data centres by 2030 and Scope 3 emissions by 2040. In the UK, its datacentres have already achieved net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Innovation efforts are also targeting more energy-efficient technologies, including low-power AI and photonics computing.

“Innovation and sustainability must advance together,” said Spataro.

Partnerships and digital capability

NTT DATA’s approach emphasises partnership with government teams to build long-term capability rather than dependence on external suppliers.

“We believe that if our clients are successful, we will ultimately benefit. Enablement is a foundational principle in our work,” said Spataro.

This includes structured knowledge transfer programmes, communities of practice and coaching initiatives designed to help civil servants build their own digital expertise. Some of Spataro’s proudest moments as CEO, he said, have come when clients take ownership of their transformation programmes.

“Helping organisations become masters of their own digital destinies is incredibly rewarding,” he said.

“This is an exciting moment for UK digital government,” said Spataro. “We’re seeing the foundations that have been built over the past decade begin to unlock real progress – and we’re committed to supporting our public sector partners every step of the way.”