Lesley Cowley OBE appointed as Chair of Public Digital
Lesley Cowley OBE has been appointed as our new Chair from January 2026.
Lesley has served as a Non-Executive Director since 2022, and steps into the role as we enter our next phase of growth. As Chair, she will provide strategic leadership to PD, working closely with our senior leadership team as we expand our work with governments, businesses, and global philanthropic organisations.
Lesley brings extensive experience in digital infrastructure and public sector reform. She is currently Chair of Building Digital UK (BDUK), the government body bringing broadband and mobile coverage to hard to reach places across the UK. She has previously chaired the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Companies House, Airport Coordination Limited and The National Archives.
She spent a decade as Chief Executive of Nominet, the UK’s .uk domain registry, leading it through a period of significant growth and establishing the Nominet Trust, one of the UK’s leading social tech funders. Through this role, she played a formative part in shaping Britain’s internet infrastructure, stewardship and digital ecosystem, and in 2010 was recognised with an OBE for services to the internet and e-commerce.
Since joining PD, Lesley has supported our strategic development and governance, contributing to our expansion across new markets and our growing portfolio of public sector transformation programmes. She replaces former Chair, Tim Brooks, who stood down in December after five years in the position.
Ben Terrett CBE, CEO said:
“Since our foundation ten years ago, PD has enjoyed consistent year-on-year growth, without ever moving away from our core values of doing work which benefits the world and improves people’s lives. Lesley has played a key role in this success as a member of the board, and we are thrilled that she will continue to bring her guidance and experience as our Chair and help us to navigate this next phase of our growth.”
Commenting on her appointment, Lesley Cowley OBE said:
“I’m delighted to be moving into the role of Public Digital Chair. I’m grateful to Tim Brooks for his excellent leadership and looking forward to working with Ben and my fellow board members on helping PD achieve its growth ambitions.”
Founded in 2015, Public Digital now operates across seven countries, and supports businesses, governments and international institutions to deliver digital-led reform, service redesign, and large-scale transformation. In 2025 the firm was awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.