Samantha Seaton appointed Co-chair of Smart Data Council

The government has appointed Samantha Seaton as the new Co-chair of the Smart Data Council.

• Former Moneyhub CEO Samantha Seaton will work alongside Minister Liz Lloyd to boost Smart Data Council 

• Appointment supports the Council to accelerate development of Smart Data schemes aimed at driving growth 

• Builds on Open Banking success where 82 firms have raised over £2 billion and created 4,800 jobs 

The government has appointed Samantha Seaton as the new Co-chair of the Smart Data Council. The former Moneyhub CEO will work alongside Minister Liz Lloyd to drive forward the UK's smart data agenda and unlock its potential for economic growth. 

This appointment means the Council is ready to help deliver the £36m commitments to Smart Data set out in the Industrial Strategy. More detail on these will be set out in the forthcoming Smart Data Strategy that will position the UK as a global leader in data-driven innovation. 

Smart Data has demonstrated significant potential to increase UK GDP through greater productivity and competition benefits enabled by personal data mobility. This has been proven through the success of Open Banking, where 82 firms alone have raised over £2 billion of private funding since 2018 and created 4,800 jobs. 

Business Minister Liz Lloyd said:  

“Samantha brings exceptional expertise and vision to this vital role, her proven track record in scaling data-driven businesses and deep understanding of the regulatory landscape makes her the ideal partner to help unlock Smart Data's potential for economic growth and consumer benefit. 

“As part of our Plan for Change, we want to make the UK a global centre of innovation and the work of the Council is central to that to boost our priority sectors and drive economic growth right across the nation.” 

Samantha Seaton, new Co-chair of the Smart Data Council, said: 

“For me, innovation has and always will be about solving real problems for real people. Smart Data can make people's lives easier and more informed. It helps businesses deliver truly personalised, customer-centric services and drives innovation across our communities. Data is like electricity - it's invisible until it powers something extraordinary. Let's make extraordinary accessible to everyone.” 

Seaton brings extensive experience from her role as CEO of Moneyhub, where she secured over £70 million of funding and pioneered AI-driven data categorisation. She currently serves as CEO of CAPAdata, where she continues to reshape how industries understand workplace pension value and performance through intelligent data application. 

The Smart Data Council will play a crucial role in supporting the development of schemes that provide benefits across health, energy, sustainability and consumer services. By 2035, the government's ambition is to create a world-leading innovation environment that attracts continued investment in Smart Data, establishing the UK as a global hub for trusted, high-impact data-driven growth.