Emily Middleton

Emily worked as a Partner at Public Digital from September 2018 until July 2024 and set up Public Digital’s international practice, working with multilateral development banks, UN agencies, and philanthropies.

She is highly experienced in working with international organisations, as well as national and subnational governments across Europe, Africa, and Asia. She focuses on digital strategy, organisational change and transformation, and investment strategies for funders.

Her expertise lies in advising development partners on how to maximise the impact and sustainability of their digital investments, developing national digital strategies and roadmaps, designing and leading digital capability-building programmes, and setting up new digital and data units and programmes

Emily has worked with high-profile clients including the governments of Madagascar and Nigeria and the World Bank to build digital capabilities and drive digital transformation in public services. She has also worked with major development partners and funders, including UN agencies, development banks and philanthropic organisations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to coordinate investment in digital government projects.

Emily recruited the government of Madagascar's first ever Chief Digital Officer (now the country’s first Digital Minister) and helped build a Digital Governance Unit which is driving digital transformation of services ranging from online business registration and birth registration to improving access to services through the postal service.

Emily was previously a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University studying digital government. Prior to joining Public Digital, Emily led the design of the London Office of Technology & Innovation. She has worked at UNICEF Innovation and the EU Delegation to Ethiopia. She started her career at the Boston Consulting Group, and worked in both Europe and Southeast Asia.

Emily serves as a trustee for global children’s charity Plan International UK.