His Majesty the King, on the advice of the Prime Minister, has appointed Professor Sir Ian Diamond FBA FRSE FAcSS for a second term as National Statistician, following an open competition, for a period of five years beginning on 1 April 2023.
The National Statistician is the Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, Permanent Secretary at the Office for National Statistics, and Head of the Government Statistical Service.
Sir Ian has been the UK’s National Statistician since 2019. In that time, the Authority has developed and launched its five-year strategy, Statistics for the Public Good. Sir Ian has led the UK’s official statistical system and the Government Analysis Function through the COVID-19 pandemic, including the rapid establishment of the COVID-19 Infection Survey, and the delivery of the 2021 Census in England & Wales, which exceeded quality targets and achieved a 97% overall response rate. The Office for National Statistics has also opened new offices in Darlington and Manchester, and used new surveys and data sources to inform the public and government alike about the economy and cost of living.
Before becoming National Statistician, Sir Ian served as Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, and before that as Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council. He is also a Fellow of the British Academy, Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Social Sciences.
Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said:
“Ian has provided fantastic leadership to the UK statistical system, delivering a successful census, addressing the demands of the covid pandemic and increasing cost of living, and driving ongoing digital transformation. The Authority Board is delighted that Ian has been reappointed and we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver statistics that serve the public good.”
Alex Chisholm, Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office said:
“I would like to congratulate Sir Ian on his reappointment. I have no doubt he will continue to provide strong direction for the UK Statistics Authority and Office for National Statistics and continue to drive innovation and value across the statistical system.”
Sir Ian Diamond said:
“It has been an enormous privilege to be National Statistician for the past three years, working with a truly wonderful group of colleagues and an excellent Board, to drive through so successfully our ambitious plan: Statistics for the Public Good. I am extremely excited by the opportunity to continue this work and take UK official statistics to a new level.”
Notes to editors:
- The National Statistician, a Crown appointment, is:
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- the principal adviser to the UK Statistics Authority and Government on official statistics
- Head of the Government Statistical Service (GSS)
- a member of the UK Statistics Authority Board as Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary.
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- Sir Ian’s first term began on 22 October 2019 and will end on 31 March 2023. His second term will begin on 1 April 2023 and end on 31 March 2028. Sir Ian previously served as a non-executive member of the UK Statistics Authority Board from June 2018 to August 2019.
- Sir Ian was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen from 2010 to 2018. He was previously Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and, from 2004 to 2009, Chair of the Research Councils UK Executive Group.
- Before joining the ESRC, Sir Ian was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton, where he had been for most of his career. Sir Ian is Chair of British Universities and Colleges Sport, Chair of Edinburgh College of Further Education, Chair of Plan International UK and a Board member of UK Research and Innovation. He chaired the Welsh Assembly Government of the Higher Education Review for Wales reporting in 2016.
- Sir Ian was elected to the UK Academy of Social Sciences in 1999, is a Fellow of the British Academy (2005), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2009) and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Cardiff, Glasgow and Curtin. View more information about Sir Ian and the Authority Board.
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