Jim Tidball

Jim is the Head of Digital Solutions at Ardent, with over 20 years’ experience leading digital transformation across complex public and private sector organisations. Jim has delivered large-scale digital change in highly regulated and mission-critical environments, holding senior leadership roles across central government and national infrastructure. He has successfully modernised platforms, embedded agile delivery, and aligned technology with organisational strategy to create long-term value.

Before joining Ardent, Jim was Head of Digital Transformation at the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (Dstl), where he led programmes to enhance digital capability, improve data access, and embed modern ways of working across the organisation. Prior to that, he was Chief Technology Officer at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, overseeing the digital modernisation of operational and safety-critical systems. He also served as Head of Application Development for the Department of Health & Social Care, where he scaled national technology platforms and supported essential public health services through digital delivery.

In his current role at Ardent, Jim is leading the organisation’s digital transformation agenda — aligning people, process, data, and technology to unlock commercial efficiency and enable future growth. He is leading our digital transformation strategy and roadmap that stabilises core systems, optimises internal operations, and introduces scalable, user-centred solutions. Jim works closely with the ATLAS & GIS teams to ensure digital capability is embedded across the business and supports long-term impact for clients and communities.

Looking ahead, Jim is driving the next phase of transformation to future-proof Ardent’s operations and empower its mission of delivering life-improving change for communities and future generations. Through automation, integration and better use of data, Ardent is building a more agile, connected, and resilient organisation — fit for the challenges of tomorrow.