The Government has appointed a new interim chief information officer, with Icon executive Michael McGrath stepping into the role.

Mr McGrath’s six-month appointment comes after Bill McCluggage resigned in December, only seven months after he took up the position. Mr McCluggage cited personal reasons for his decision.

Mr McGrath will be charged with carrying on the implementation of the State’s e-government and cloud computing strategy.

Prior to his appointment he was executive vice president of IT at Irish-based Icon, and has also held key senior IT roles in GE Capital and Woodchester Bank, as well as ESBI Computing.

The role of chief information officer is considered central to the Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin’s plans to reform the business of Government in areas such as data sharing and improving the public’s experience when they deal with public bodies.