£2bn Criminal Justice IT gets new tech chief

The government's £2bn Criminal Justice IT (CJIT) organisation has appointed a new technology chief who will be responsible for the programme's technical strategy.

Tunde Coker joins CJIT as chief technology officer from BP's digital and communications technology team, where he was applications director for corporate functions.

The post comes with a six-figure salary and Coker will take ownership of the strategic architecture for the Criminal Justice Exchange - the electronic hub at the centre of the CJIT overhaul, which allows the various courts, police and probation services to share information securely.

silicon.com Public Sector

Get the latest public sector news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the PS newsletter today!

Coker has a degree in mechanical engineering from Glamorgan University, a postgraduate Masters from Cranfield University and has worked for Capgemini, Merrill Lynch, Swiss Life and internet bank Egg, where he was IT director.

He will report to Stephen Jenner, director of CJIT, who is the interim replacement for John Suffolk who left earlier this year to become the UK government CIO.

Coker said in a statement: "It is a very exciting time to be joining the organisation. I am passionate about the opportunity to make a tangible difference to the citizens' experience of our criminal justice system."