Two people with extensive experience in the technology sector are bringing their expertise to Jisc.

Simon Bolton, who was most recently CEO at NHS Digital, and David Chalmers, who is a director at Amazon Web Services (AWS), have both been appointed as trustees. 

Simon has a wealth of experience in the technology sector. Since starting his career at Hewlett-Packard, he has helped some of the UK’s best-known organisations develop and deliver transformational technology strategies.  

Most recently, in his role as chief executive at NHS Digital, Simon was responsible for running the NHS’s national technology infrastructure. He was also responsible to parliament for collecting, curating and disseminating healthcare data to support the delivery of care in England, and for its use within the life sciences industry.  

Before working at the NHS, Simon held a number of senior technology roles, including group CIO at Jaguar Land Rover and divisional CIO at Rolls-Royce Ltd.  

He now has a small portfolio of non-executive and advisory roles, including as an independent governor and audit chair at the University of Derby. 

Simon said: 

“I’m delighted to be joining Jisc as a trustee. I have a longstanding interest in higher and further education, which facilitates social mobility and the supply of skills into the economy.  

“I hope to be able to use my deep experience of working in the technology sector to help Jisc to continue providing great value, high quality services to enable education, research and innovation to thrive in the UK.” 

David Chalmers was most recently the director of solution architecture for AWS in EMEA. Describing himself as an IT leader, evangelist and advisor, David has 41 years’ experience helping organisations find, develop, use and gain benefit from technology.   

His previous employers include Hewlett-Packard, Macro4 and IBM. He has worked with and helped a wide range of organisations from start-ups and individuals with little more than an idea to government departments and some of the world’s largest commercial businesses. 

David said:  

“Throughout my career I have developed a real passion for working with, learning from and helping young people. Finding ways to encourage them to use technology as part of their lives and careers is something that I believe is very much to the benefit of us all.  

“I am very much looking forward to working with Jisc to help UK education and research add real value to the lives of young people.” 

Jisc has also appointed Nav Sidhu, former finance director at EV Cargo UK Ltd, to its finance and treasury committee. 

Susan Bowen, president and CEO of Aptum Technologies, and Professor Mark Smith, president and vice-chancellor at the University of Southampton, have both come to the end of their terms as trustees.