Dame Jil Matheson was National Statistician, Head of the Government Statistical Service and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority from 2009 until her retirement in 2014. Jil worked as a survey researcher for many years, followed by a number of roles at the Office for National Statistics. She has chaired both the OECD’s Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy and the UN Statistical Commission.
Jil has a particular interest in the public role of statistics and social research, including the principles and ethics governing research practice, and in methodological innovation and operational excellence to ensure that research is high quality, timely and accessible.