“Digital Sovereignty takes note of the extreme dependence that both firms and individuals have developed on a handful of opaque and unaccountable technologies and companies, and outlines a path to greater control of our digital futures.”
— Francis Fukuyama, a renowned contemporary political thinker, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University, and Professor at Johns Hopkins University—holding appointments as Professor at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Schwartz Distinguished Professor, and Professor of International Political Economy. He is the author of such influential works as *The End of History and the Last Man*, *Trust*, and *The Origins of Political Order*.

“The central question in contemporary politics is: do we shape technology, or are we shaped by it? This book makes an important contribution to answering that question: clear eyed in its understanding of sovereignty, and – uniquely – practical in its recommendations on capacity. A great guide for both thinking and doing.”
— Kanishka Narayan MP, UK Minister for AI and Online Safety

“For countries facing urgent pressure to digitize, there’s a real challenge: how to move rapidly while ensuring digital infrastructure is governed for the public good. This book offers a vital path forward, showing how nations can pair open digital architecture with localized capacity to retain strategic control. A crucial read for public-sector leaders striving to build resilient digital systems for long term impact.”
— CV Madhukar, CEO of Co-Develop

★ A book co-authored by the original core team behind global government digital transformation, along with leading technologists and thought leaders in public service digitization—among them the UK’s first Government Chief Data Officer, a global tech strategist for French President Macron, a digital transformation advisor to governments in over 30 countries and to international financial institutions, and Professor Mike Bracken, Honorary Professor at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, as well as Lauren Kahn, Deputy Director of Digital Strategy at the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Director of Responsible Technology at BT.
★ Highly recommended by renowned contemporary political thinker Francis Fukuyama, author of seminal works such as “The End of History and the Last Man” and “The Origins of Political Order,” and by Kanishka Narayan, the UK Minister for AI and Online Safety.
★ Offers a practical, actionable guide to “capacity building,” squarely addressing today’s pressing challenges and charting a path to long-term resilience. Far from empty theorizing, this book zeroes in on real‑world dilemmas—overburdened welfare systems, lack of accountability among platforms, vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, and rigid supplier relationships—providing concrete recommendations and advice on structural reforms to help organizations thrive even in constrained environments.
★ Aimed at senior leaders in government, state‑owned enterprises, and multinational institutions, it also equips readers with the skills to adapt to a rapidly changing world and shape the future by strengthening their own capabilities. Presenting a systematic approach to identifying technological dependencies, rebuilding internal digital competencies, and leveraging procurement to reshape market dynamics, this is an indispensable hands‑on manual for policymakers and business executives.

Around the world people are increasingly asking their leaders a simple question: “Why can’t you fix this?”
The frustrations vary across governments and organisations, but they share a pattern. Benefits systems buckle under stress. Platforms shape public discourse with little public accountability. Critical infrastructure depends on vendors no one remembers choosing, and those dependencies surface when something breaks.
These are not technology problems. They are symptoms of something deeper: institutions that have lost sight of how they work, who they rely on and whether they still have the means to shape themselves as the world shifts beneath their feet.
That world is changing faster than ever. New technologies reshape industries and institutions before the old ones have been understood. Geopolitical pressures add urgency, and expectations grow. Yet as the stakes get higher, many leaders find that their room to act has quietly narrowed. Vendor relationships lock in, legacy systems accrete, and rules and processes ossify. The ability to decide, and to keep deciding as conditions change, has never mattered more.
Sovereignty is not something you secure once and forever. It is the agency and capacity to shape your digital future as circumstances change. It is a condition that institutions can maintain, grow or lose. And the goal is not independence, because no government, company or institution operates alone. The real question is whether you are choosing who you depend on and on what terms, or whether those choices have already been made for you.
Digital Sovereignty is for leaders across government, the private sector and international development who need to operate successfully in the constrained space they find themselves in today, while building their capacity to act differently tomorrow. The book is structured around the questions senior leaders actually face and the forces that shape those questions.
Digital sovereignty is a muscle that strengthens only through regular use. This book is the place to start building.

Mike Brack, CBE
Mike Brack is the co-founder of Public Digital PD, a global consulting firm dedicated to transforming how large organizations operate in the digital age. He is the founder and Executive Director of the UK Government Digital Service and the United Kingdom’s first Government Chief Data Officer.
A global digital leader, Mike has spearheaded comprehensive transformations at major institutions across both the private and public sectors. He helps organizations change the way they work and tackle systemic market, social, and macroeconomic challenges. His most widely recognized achievement is leading the global digital government revolution, which propelled the UK to first place in the 2016 UN rankings.
Mike has led digital operations and transformation efforts at large organizations in the UK and Europe, including The Guardian media group and Co‑op Group. As a civic technology expert, he helped found MySociety and harnessed the power of the open internet to drive systemic change.
He currently advises governments in over 30 countries—including Canada, Australia, and Argentina—as well as global financial institutions on digital transformation, and serves as one of President Macron’s global tech thought leaders. He is an Honorary Professor at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and a member of the Advisory Board at the Oxford Internet Institute.
Mike is a Partner at the Lisbon Council in Brussels and a Non-Executive Director of Chetwood Bank, a fully licensed UK fintech company. He is also a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
His co-authored book, “Digital Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Transformation,” has been consistently praised since its publication and has become a long‑running bestseller in the field.

“A visionary with a global perspective, radically reshaping digital public infrastructure.” — Marina Mazzucato, in her portrait of Marianna Mazzucato

“By building a culture of public service in technology, you have helped change people’s attitudes toward government and services.” — Barack Obama

“If the US government has embarked on a path of digital transformation over the past decade, much of that is thanks to Mike Brack… He truly was the starting point for many positive changes.” — Jenn Pahlka, Founder of US Digital Services and Code for America


Andrew Greenway
Co-founder of the global consulting firm Public Digital PD, Andrew Greenway is a leading thinker on modern state capacity and a distinguished strategist in the global movement to reform public institutions.
A former UK civil servant and founding partner of Public Digital PD, he has spent over a decade “remaking the bureaucracy” to fit the internet age. At the end of 2024, he stepped down as the company’s inaugural Managing Director to focus on its global thought leadership, advising heads of state and international organizations on structural reforms to achieve mission‑driven governance.
His recent research has become a cornerstone of the burgeoning “state capacity” movement. In 2024, he co-authored the groundbreaking report “Radical How To,” commissioned by the UK innovation agency NESTA. The report challenges the traditional “waterfall” approach to policymaking, arguing that government success in complex environments depends on testing and learning, as well as bridging the gap between policy design and implementation. Subsequently, in collaboration with Jenn Pahlka, he published “The How To We Need Now: The Capacity Agenda 2025,” a highly anticipated report analyzing how the US and UK can rebuild their practical capacity to address their most pressing challenges.
He recently concluded a six‑year term (2019–2025) as a Non‑Executive Member of the University of Exeter’s Board, where he also served as a permanent member of the Finance and Investment Committee.
Before co‑founding Public Digital PD, Andrew was a key figure at the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), leading the team that developed the world’s first standards for government digital services. A prolific writer, his insights have appeared in numerous national publications, including The Guardian, The Spectator, and Nature. He is the author of “Scaling Digital Transformation” (2018) and “Bluster” (2018), the latter of which remains widely cited as a critique of the UK establishment’s overreliance on generalist experts.

Lauren Kahn
Partner and Global Impact Lead at Public Digital PD, Lauren provides digital transformation consulting to governments, development banks, and UN agencies.
A distinguished digital leader with over 20 years of experience, Lauren is committed to driving social change through technology and innovation. As Public Digital PD’s Global Impact Lead, she leads a cross‑disciplinary team of experts, advising governments and institutions worldwide—ranging from multilateral development banks and UN bodies to major philanthropic foundations—to help them scale inclusive, responsible, and sustainable digital transformation.
Lauren’s expertise lies at the intersection of three critical domains: digital technology, public impact, and global development. Her recent work has set the agenda on several emerging global issues, including AI ethics, unlocking the value of digital public infrastructure, and the crucial synergy between digital transformation and the climate change agenda.
Prior to joining Public Digital PD, Lauren held senior digital leadership positions in both the public and private sectors, including Deputy Director of Digital Strategy at the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Director of Responsible Technology at BT. A former academic and social researcher, she integrates ethnographic insights and user‑centric design into her strategic approach. Lauren frequently represents the UK on boards and steering committees of global partnerships convened by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum.

Raine Lester
Raine Lester is an experienced communications specialist and a member of the Public Digital PD network, with a background in corporate communications and PR spanning Asia and Europe.

James Stewart
James Stewart is a Partner and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Public Digital PD, as well as a co‑founder of the UK Government Digital Service, where he led the technical architecture behind GOV.UK.
As a Partner and CTO at PD, James advises organizations worldwide on all aspects of digital transformation, from strategy formulation to implementation. With 25 years of experience leading technical teams and developing and operating digital services, he is deeply committed to advancing digital transformation across both the public and private sectors.
James is a recognized leader in the field of digital public infrastructure, and in recent years has focused on partnering with global institutions to catalyze and fund digital change. He helps donors craft strategies that enable governments to achieve their development goals through digitization. He has collaborated with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Gates Foundation, UN agencies, and regional development banks.
Before joining Public Digital PD, James was one of the co‑founders of the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), which played a pivotal role in creating the UK government’s single website, GOV.UK. He spearheaded the government’s cloud computing, hosting, and networking policies and contributed to the establishment of the UK National Cyber Security Centre.