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Appointment of new members to Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster John Hutton MP today announced the appointment of four new members to the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information. APPSI is a non-departmental public body charged with advising Ministers about opportunities for greater re-use of public sector information. They also advise the Director of the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) about changes and opportunities in the information industry and review complaints arising under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

Speaking about the appointments John Hutton said:

‘The new members of APPSI are people of great talent who share a desire to see public sector information used to its full potential. I am very pleased to have such a strong team in place to support the Government’s drive to unlock the value of public sector information for commercial benefit.’

The four new members, who are appointed for three years, are:

Keith Dugmore, Director of Demographic Decisions and founder of the Demographics User Group representing commercial users of public data to Government. He is a Fellow and Council Member of the Royal Statistical Society. His appointment is as an expert member in statistics.

Christine Gifford, Founding Director of both Public Partners and Gifford Owen. As a member of the Home Secretary's Advisory Group on Openness in Government she was heavily involved in establishing the framework of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. She is appointed to represent the information management community.

Avinash D. Persaud, Chairman of investment boutiques Intelligence Capital Limited and Elara Capital Limited. He is a Visiting Scholar at the European Central Bank where he is working on information transparency and market liquidity. He is a Member of Council, London School of Economics and a founding director the Global Association of Risk Professionals. He is appointed as an expert member in economics.

Chris Sellers, Business Development Director for Capita plc. He is the author of two books on the topic of unlocking the value of information within organisations. A Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institute of Directors, he is currently working with Local and Central Government on the challenges they face in improving customer service and value for money. He is appointed to represent end-users in the field of information management.

Notes to editors

1. More information on the Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information is available from its web site, www.appsi.gov.uk
2. The appointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
3. The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is at the heart of information policy, setting standards, delivering access and encouraging re-use of public sector information at www.opsi.gov.uk.

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