GIG Awards 2021 - Lifetime Achievement Award

In our blog post on 17th September we announced the winners of the GIG Awards 2021. This is the first in a subsequent series of blog posts showcasing the winners of the awards and the reasons they were nominated.

We start with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award, which was awarded to Simon Marsh.

 

The criteria for the GIG Lifetime Achievement Award state that it is “given in recognition of a major contribution to government knowledge and information management over a sustained period”. If ever this could be said of anyone, it is Simon Marsh.   

Prior to his retirement earlier this year Simon was Deputy Director of Information Management at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and he and was nominated by his former colleague Carryl Allardice at the FCDO. The nomination for Simon was packed with evidence of his contribution to the KIM profession over a long and distinguished career, which left the Awards Judging Panel in awe of his achievements.

 

Simon served with distinction as a Head of the KIM Profession in roles at the MoD, Home Office as well as latterly at the FCDO. He served on the Knowledge Leaders committee for a number of years and acted as mentor to members of the GKIM profession including the GKIM Head of Profession.

 

Image source: Pixabay

Simon began his Civil Service career in 1988 and spent 18 years in various politico/military/economic analysis roles, including two months seconded to a UN Special Commission weapons inspection in Iraq with the Ministry of Defence. In 2006 he became Deputy Head, Corporate Memory at the MOD with responsibility for information and records management and historical analysis. This was followed in 2011 by a stint as Acting Deputy Director for Information Strategy Policy and Process with Simon being made substantive in this post in November 2013. Simon’s many achievements at MOD include:

●     Leading cross government work on the recall and re-sensitivity review of Saudi Arms sales files from TNA; this was then repeated for nuclear deterrent files;

●     Led cross government work on streamlining the records review processes in advance of the 20 Year rule implementation, making recommendations to the Advisory Council;

●     Developed MOD’s litigation search capability;

●     Oversaw revision of the MOD file plan and information management policies;

●     Jointly implemented government security classifications in 2014 with the head of MOD Security;

●     Appeared before the Public Administration Select Committee as part of their investigation into government record keeping;

●     Chaired the cross-Government GKIM Knowledge Management Working Group, which latterly produced the GKIM Knowledge Management Maturity Model, now in use across Government.

 

In August 2014, Simon moved to the Home Office to take up the post of Deputy Director of the Knowledge and Information Unit. Whilst at the HO, Simon led implementation of a records management solution for the department, which was a SharePoint-based, manage in place, solution. He also established a litigation search capability in the Department, including the introduction of e-discovery. As one might expect with such a high profile department of state, the critical nature of the policy areas provided the opportunity to input to many high profile and challenging areas of work. Simon managed KIM issues on a number of key inquiries, including the Wanless-Whittam Review, legacy Hillsborough Inquiry issues, the Undercover Policing Inquiry, “Shrewsbury 24” Review and the consideration of an Inquiry into the “Battle of Orgreave”. No less of a challenge was the arrival of the new GDPR (General Data Protection) regulations and Simon led on the implementation of the new GDPR requirements for the Home Office. In fact, whilst at the HO, he established a cross-government working group on GDPR implementation, which collaborated to share concerns, good practice, tools and templates, with DCMS subsequently taking over the running of the group.

Four years after joining the HO Simon moved to the FCO/FCDO to take up the post of Head of the Knowledge Management Department in 2018 and in 2021, he became Deputy Director, Information Management, FCDO. Whilst at the FCDO Simon led implementation of MS Teams “in place” records management and secured funding for, and initiated, a Digital Sensitivity Review Project with FCDO Services as well as implementing a pilot eDiscovery project. Following a Machinery of Government move Simon led a Transformation Programme for records and information management in support of the merger of the FCO with DFID (Dept for International Development).

 

In addition to these significant achievements Simon was also a Member of the Better Information for Better Government Board, took a led on establishing a Whitehall History Network and took on the role of KIM Head of Profession
           

For the GIG Awards Judging Panel there really was no doubt that Simon was a very deserving winner of the GIG Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021 for his major contribution to, and leadership of, the government KIM profession. His was a very varied and distinguished career in a range of government departments. What was particularly striking was the fact that Simon was working on and honing his knowledge management skills years before it became the hot topic it is now, with roles such as ‘Head of Corporate Memory’. Simon’s contribution to GKIM over the course of his career has clearly had a significant impact on the organisations he has worked for, but will also have a long-term legacy for those coming after him.

Many congratulations Simon!

 

 

Karen George

Vice Chair, GIG & Chair of the Awards Judging Panel