Dia Nag, Director of Digital
It’s been a sunny, lovely weekend. As Sunday fades into bank holiday Monday, I’m reflecting on how quickly the past eight weeks have flown in my new role — and how energising it’s been. (Am I a workaholic? Maybe not… but I love what I do. And we all think about the things we love!)
It’s been eight weeks since I joined BetterGov as Director of Digital — and I’ve been deep in learning mode: getting to know the people, culture, and heartbeat of the place. Now feels like a good moment to look up and reflect.
What’s stood out – from day one, I’ve been struck by how open and values-driven the team is. BetterGov is packed with smart, passionate people who genuinely care about improving public services — not in theory, but in a sleeves-rolled-up, delivery-focused way. There’s a purposeful, kind energy here. That matters.
Same but different– the problems feel familiar. I saw many of them in government. But this time, I’m on the other side. That shift has been eye-opening. Yes, the challenges remain:
⚙️ Slow, fragmented processes
💾 Legacy systems that don’t speak to each other
⚖️ That ongoing tension between ambition and bureaucracy
But from here, it’s even clearer how much more agile, dynamic, human-centered, and joined up we need to be. And the truth is — whether you’re in central & local gov, higher ed or beyond — we’re all facing similar issues. And most of us really want to make things better.
That gives me hope.
The opportunity– we have a chance to:
🔄 Learn from one another
✅ Share what actually works
⛔ Stop reinventing the wheel
Already I’m seeing real potential for reuse — for building on what’s good instead of starting over. BetterGov is in an unique place to help make that happen — connecting teams, spotting patterns, & designing services that start with user needs.
Looking ahead– in the coming weeks, I’ll be leading the launch of BetterGov’s ‘product and service proposition’ for the public sector. We want to support orgs move from a programme ➡️ to product mindset and ultimately toward more holistic services.
It’s exciting but hard as it’s a shift in mindset. It won’t happen overnight — but if we want things that last, this is the shift we need. I’ve already had some great conversations and together we’ve surfaced real demand in this space.
And finally… Something close to my heart: how we support Women in Digital Consultancy — especially those navigating leadership, delivery, and the messy middle. I’m thinking about how we build a space to connect, reflect, and lift each other up. After successfully building Women in Digital at Cabinet Office, I’m now exploring how gov and public sector networks can go even further — collaborating at the next level for greater impact.
So yes — it’s been a busy eight weeks. But the good kind of busy — where you end the day a little more hopeful than you started.
You can get in touch with me at [email protected], if you wish to have a chat!
