The NSW government has appointed a new chief information officer to lead the state's IT strategy five months after the unceremonious departure of the inaugural CIO Paul Edgecumbe.

NSW Minister for Commerce Eric Roozendaal today announced the appointment of Emmanuel Rodriguez as the new NSW government CIO following and international search an recruitment process from "a large field" of candidates.

Rodriguez was most recently Asia Pacific CIO for Prudential Corporation Asia.

The NSW government chief information office sits within the Department of Commerce.

Rodriguez will commence in his new role in early November.

"This is a very important role within the NSW government and I am relishing the opportunity," Rodriguez said. "People First is a comprehensive, strategic ICT plan, built on solid foundations, and my initial priorities will be to work with the CIO executive council to prioritize and drive forward the individual projects that have been identified under the strategy."

Department of Commerce director general John Lee said Rodriguez impressed the selection panel with his communications and leadership credentials and his strong business development background in the financial and services sectors.

"The role of government chief information officer is crucial because the value of ICT has never been more critical for government than it is now," Roozendaal said. "We face difficult issues, particularly around the requirements of e-government, and more importantly front-line service requirements."

Rodriguez will drive ICT policy and strategy within government and have whole-of-government responsibility for ensuring the People First ICT plan delivers its goals, innovative use of ICT to transform government service delivery, ICT investment, strategic planning for ICT deployment across government, and planning and consolidation of government ICT infrastructure.

"People First is at a crucial phase of its implementation and a strong and experienced leader is essential to drive the strategy forward and deliver the $565 million of targeted savings," Roozendaal said.