Rebecca George

Rebecca George
Born	1961 Basingstoke, England
Occupation(s)	Computer scientist, management consultant
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	Former President of the British Computer Society; leadership at Deloitte Public Sector division; advocate for women in technology

Rebecca Gay George (born 1961) is a former President of the British Computer Society and has served as the head of Deloitte’s Public Sector division. She is a dedicated advocate for increasing the involvement of girls and women in technology and IT fields.

Early life

George was born in Basingstoke, England. Her father, Garth, originally from South Africa, was a nuclear physicist who relocated to the UK in 1949. Her mother, Elizabeth George, transitioned from social work to teaching and was among the first women ordained in the Church of England. Rebecca has two younger brothers.

She attended various schools in Basingstoke, including Fairfields Primary and Harriet Costello comprehensive secondary school, before progressing to Queen Mary's College Sixth Form. As a violinist, she performed with the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and toured Australia at age 17. George pursued English Language and Literature at St Hugh's College, Oxford, which was an all-female college during her time there; she led the drama society and taught herself computing skills to earn money by typing theses. Awarded a Rotary Foundation Scholarship, she completed a Master of Science degree in Broadcasting at Boston University, focusing on Cable and Satellite systems. Married in 1991, she has two sons; her husband took a career break to care for their children.

Professional life

In the early 1980s, George gained experience in cable television both in the US and UK, including working for Robert Maxwell’s firm, SelecTV (US TV channel). Observing slower expansion of cable and satellite TV in the UK market, she transitioned to management consultancy with Spicer and Pegler to diversify her expertise. In 1988, she joined IBM as a sales representative during the company’s expansion into professional services. Over nearly two decades at IBM, her roles spanned sales, human resources, and business process engineering across the US and France, concentrating on IT-driven business process transformation. From 2001 onwards, she became involved with digital initiatives within the UK Public Sector.

George became a Partner at Deloitte in 2006 within their Public Sector practice, initially collaborating with Central Government Departments before taking charge of Deloitte’s UK Healthcare Practice starting in 2011. By 2016, she was leading Deloitte's UK Healthcare Practice as well as serving as Global lead for Public Sector Health and Social Services. Additionally, she acted as Deloitte’s lead Partner for Healthcare across the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. Her expertise lies in clinical transformation through technology with an emphasis on enhancing patient outcomes in cancer and diabetes care. As of March 2019, she oversees Deloitte’s Public Sector practice spanning 13 European countries.

Inspired by her time in the US to promote diversity, George has been a vocal supporter of initiatives aimed at boosting female participation in IT at every stage—from educational programs to senior leadership—addressing areas such as recruitment strategies, career progression, maternity leave policies, retention efforts, and representation on boards.

Honour and other awards and roles

In recognition of her contributions to IT and support for the Egan Review on sustainable community skills, George was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2006. A Fellow of the BCS, she chaired its Policy and Public Affairs Board in 2013 and was elected Vice President and Trustee of the BCS in 2014. In October 2015, she was granted Freeman of the City of London status and became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists. Computer Weekly ranked her 20th among the "Most Influential Women in IT" for both 2014 and 2015.

She was highlighted as one of 30 women featured in the BCS Women in IT Campaign (2014) and included in the BCS publication Women in IT: Inspiring the next generation, which showcases prominent figures advancing diversity within technology.

In the 2023 New Year Honours list, George received appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services promoting diversity within the technology sector.

External links

• Rebecca George profile at Deloitte