London, United KIngdom, 14 January 2025

CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services companies in the world, reveals the findings of its proprietary analysis examining the priorities of 12 metro mayors across the UK.

The study analysed the manifestos of metro mayors from regions including Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, Greater London, North East, South Yorkshire, Tees Valley, West of England, West Midlands, York and North Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire. Together, these leaders represent a combined population of nearly 32 million citizens, underscoring the significant impact their focus on digital transformation will have. These mayors are driving a collective agenda that promises to enhance regional resilience and deliver meaningful impact and growth across the UK.

Metro mayors face several key challenges to support their constituents with digital transformation efforts such as addressing digital skills shortages and ensuring equitable access to high-speed connectivity. Balancing regional needs with national priorities, such as achieving net-zero emissions and building resilience to global disruption, is critical, whilst also tackling digital exclusion to ensure vulnerable groups are not left behind.

Tara McGeehan, President of CGI in UK and Australia, comments, “This research showcases the forward-thinking vision of metro mayors across the UK. Their collective focus on sustainability, productivity, and devolution underscores a strong alignment with the nation's priorities."

 

Research shows striking similarities across regions

The detailed analysis demonstrates that digital transformation is at the forefront of regional development agendas. The study highlights strong alignment among mayors across five critical areas: Digital Productivity, Digital Sustainability, Digital Devolution, Digital Sovereignty, and Digital Supply Chain Resilience.

The research analysis reveals key alignment across regions including:

  • 92% of metro mayors emphasise Digital Productivity, highlighting the importance of technology in driving regional economic growth and workforce efficiency.
  • 100% prioritise Digital Sustainability, showcasing a shared commitment to tackling climate change through innovative digital solutions.
  • 100% focus on Digital Devolution, reflecting a collective desire for greater local control over digital infrastructure and decision-making.
  • Only half (50%) address Digital Sovereignty, revealing a varied approach to protecting regional data.
  • Three quarters (75%) recognise the critical role of Digital Supply Chain Resilience, particularly in the face of global disruptions.

 

Building a Digitally-Driven Future

With universal emphasis on Digital Sustainability and Digital Devolution, there is a clear opportunity to deliver solutions tailored to these critical needs. At the same time, the disparity in focus on Digital Sovereignty signals a need for targeted education and collaboration to ensure secure, autonomous digital ecosystems that benefit all regions.

As these 12 metro mayors continue to lead efforts to shape a smarter, greener, and more resilient UK, this research indicates the need for targeted investments and innovative partnerships to deliver meaningful change. The Government has recently published the English Devolution White Paper, setting out plans for economic growth and public sector reform. These plans were referenced in Labour's first King's Speech stating “Legislation will be introduced to give new powers to metro mayors and combined authorities. This will support local growth plans that bring economic benefits to communities.”

Tara McGeehan adds, "The findings highlight a pivotal moment for the UK’s regions, as metro mayors place digital transformation at the forefront of their strategies. However, whilst the ambition is clear, accessing the right talent and skills remains a significant challenge in turning these goals into reality. Addressing this will require innovative thinking and collaboration across sectors to ensure the necessary expertise is available to drive digital productivity, sustainability, and resilience.”

 

Notable Regional Leaders

While there is broad uniformity in the digital priorities of metro mayors across the UK, some regions stand out for their particular focus in this survey. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Great Manchester, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire and West of England are the only areas that address all five key areas of digital transformation in their manifestos. Liverpool emerges as a leader, referencing digital productivity more than twice as often as any other region, signalling its strong focus on leveraging technology to drive economic growth and innovation. These examples highlight how regions are not only aligned on national goals but also tailoring strategies to their unique strengths and ambitions.

 

Notes to editors

*Study details: CGI UK Mayor study, conducted between November 11 and November 22 2024

Methodology

CGI analysed all twelve metro mayors’ recent manifestos or regional plans with an analysis of five key search terms, alongside associated references. These included:

  • Digital Sustainability: keywords included "green IT," "energy efficiency," "carbon reduction," and expanded to "net-zero," "sustainable growth," etc. 
  • Digital Devolution: keywords included "local empowerment" to "regional autonomy" and "community-driven innovation." 
  • Digital Sovereignty: keywords included "data privacy," "GDPR compliance," and broader terms like "cybersecurity." 
  • Digital Productivity: keywords included "efficiency," "AI," "workflow automation," and related terms. 
  • Digital Supply Chain Fragility: keywords included “supply chain + resilience," "visibility," "logistics optimisation," and similar terms. 

Manifestos and plans analysed include:

 

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 90,250 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2024 reported revenue is C$14.68 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

For more information:

Local Media

Paul Butler
External Communications Manager, UK 
p.butler@cgi.com
07920 784199