Amanda Dahl

I am a senior technology and public policy leader with three decades of experience delivering complex, cross-cutting programmes at the intersection of digital infrastructure, AI governance, and public-sector transformation — across UK and US government, global technology platforms, and regulated institutions.

I currently serve as Director at The Crown Estate, where I lead enterprise digital strategy across a £14 billion national estate, spanning product, data, technology platforms, and cybersecurity. I co-chair the organisation’s AI Governance Committee, establishing frameworks for responsible AI adoption across Urban, Rural, and Marine portfolios, and direct the marine data product portfolio supporting the UK’s offshore energy and environmental sectors.

Previously, as Deputy Director at the UK Government Digital Service in the Cabinet Office, I led seven national digital programmes with over 125 staff and significant budget responsibility. I directed the national launch of the UK Emergency Alerts system — managing reputational risk, technical assurance, and stakeholder alignment across COBR, ministers, and telecommunications operators to reach 80% of the UK population. I oversaw platforms including GOV.UK Pay (£7.7 billion in transactions) and GOV.UK Notify (11.8 billion messages), and led applied AI pilots informing cross-government approaches to AI adoption in public services.

At the United States Digital Service in the Biden White House, I led a crisis response during the national infant formula shortage, working directly with the Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council to translate technical analysis into actionable intelligence for senior decision-makers. I subsequently directed the $190 million digital transformation of the USDA’s WIC nutrition programme, serving six million mothers and children across 89 state agencies — a federal programme requiring sustained coalition-building, political navigation, and delivery at scale.

Earlier in my career, I held senior platform leadership roles at Sony PlayStation, where I directed global supply chain and B2B commerce platforms supporting $4.4 billion in revenue, and at the BBC, where I led the development of the BBC’s personalisation platform, growing signed-in users from 1.9 million to 12.6 million. My technical foundations span high-performance computing, systems architecture, genomics bioinformatics, and financial services infrastructure.

Internationally, I have served as UK thematic lead for AI and Digital Democracy at the OECD, engaging with governments across nine countries on digital governance and democratic resilience. I am a Cambridge Policy Fellow at the Centre for Science and Policy. I also advise AI startups on governance and strategy, including Alterion.ai (enterprise AI agent governance) and Lichen AI (human-centred AI design), and serve on the advisory board of AidKit, a govtech platform for public benefit programme delivery.

I am completing a Master’s degree in AI Ethics and Society at the University of Cambridge, where my research examines how AI-driven prioritisation systems affect agency and decision-making in public welfare services — work that sits directly at the intersection of emerging technology, policy design, and public trust.

I was recognised as Digital Leader of the Year (Highly Commended) in 2025 and Role Model of the Year by Women in Tech Excellence in 2024.