Leadership team

Emma Rourke – Acting National Statistician

Emma is the Acting National Statistician. She is the principal advisor on statistical matters to the UK Statistics Authority Board, as well as to ministers and Parliament. She is Head of the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and the Analysis Function, focusing her time on system-wide leadership of statistical production within the ONS and across government. She works closely with other senior analytical leaders across government and represents the ONS at relevant international fora.

Emma is an executive member of the UK Statistics Authority Board.

Emma was previously the Deputy National Statistician and Director General for Health, Population and Methods. Before joining the ONS in 2016, Emma held senior roles in the health sector, including Director of Intelligence at the Care Quality Commission.

Darren Tierney – Permanent Secretary

Darren is responsible for the day-to-day running of the ONS, including leading the ONS’s organisational transformation. He sets the strategic direction of the ONS in consultation with the Acting National Statistician and the UK Statistics Authority Board. He oversees the delivery of our portfolio of statistics and is the Accounting Officer answerable to Parliament for the ONS’s performance.

Darren will be an executive member of the UK Statistics Authority Board.

Darren joined the ONS from the Cabinet Office and has over 20 years of policy, strategic and corporate experience across the Civil Service, including the management of transformation programmes.

Economic, Social and Environmental Statistics

James Benford – Deputy National Statistician and Director General for Economic, Social and Environmental Statistics

Grant Fitzner – Chief Economist and Director, Macroeconomic Statistics and Analysis

Grant oversees the production and analysis of the ONS economic statistics, including prices, public sector finance, productivity, trade and the balance of payments. He also advises the National Statistician on economic matters.

Grant is an experienced economist who has held a range of public and private sector roles, including economic adviser to the Australian Government and director of analysis and chief economist at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Osama Rahman – Director of Economic Statistics Change (interim cover)

Liz McKeown – Director of Economic Statistics Production and Analysis

Liz leads the production and analysis of the UK’s official estimates of the Labour Market and the country’s National and Regional Accounts, She is also responsible for the range of monthly output economic indicators and annual surveys produced and conducted by the ONS.

Liz was Director of Public Policy Analysis. Before joining the ONS, Liz held senior roles in government, including Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office.

Jennet Woolford – Director of Public Policy Analysis

Jen leads the development of public policy statistics and analysis, covering population, migration, crime, living standards, housing, and environmental issues, such as net zero and sustainability. Jen is also responsible for the Analysis Function within the ONS.

Jen is a professional statistician, with 25 years of experience working in official statistics.

Osama Rahman – Director of the Data Science Campus

Osama leads the Data Science Campus, a UK and international hub to gain practical advantage from the increased investment in data science capability.

He was previously the Department for Education’s (DfE) Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser for four and a half years where he was responsible for the provision of analytical and scientific advice to ministers and senior officials.

Before joining DfE, Osama spent fourteen and a half years at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), a year at the Civil Aviation Authority, and 10 years as a lecturer and senior lecturer in economics at various UK universities.

Health, Population and Methods

Vacant – Deputy National Statistician for Health, Population and Methods

Lucinda Eggleton – Director of Health and International

Mary Gregory – Director of Population Statistics

Mary leads our work to deliver population and migration statistics, supporting a better understanding of society across the UK. This includes delivering our regular outputs and work to make greater use of administrative data.

Mary has worked across government leading statistical and data science teams.

Sarah Henry – Director of Methodology and Quality

Sarah is our Director for the Methodology and Quality Directorate (MQD) and oversees the statistical methods and techniques that underpin our surveys and statistics. She ensures our statistics are of the highest possible quality, using the best mixture of data sources.

Sarah has a wealth of experience in analysis and statistical methods. She was previously Head of Intelligence and Performance at Manchester City Council.

Jason Zawadzki – Director of Census Taskforce

Data Capability

Alison Pritchard – Deputy National Statistician for Data Capability

Alison is leading the transformation in data usage which will see ever more integrated data put to effective and safe use across the private and public sectors. She ensures the ONS has the right technology and skills to meet its ambitious goals in data analytics and data science and champions safe and secure data sharing for the public good in the ONS and beyond.

Before joining the ONS, Alison was Director General of the Government Digital Service leading the organisation through a busy and critical period. And before that, she was Director of Transformation at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She began her Civil Service career in 1987 and has worked across a range of departments including the Ministry of Defence, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Pete Benton – Director General for Data Capability

Pete is Director General for Data Capability at ONS and is currently contributing to statistical design and surrounding discussions. His role focuses particularly on the use of linked data within ONS, and we can benefit from his considerable experience and expertise.

Pete has experience in statistical methodology, major programme delivery, and operations management. He has held several senior roles at the ONS, including Deputy National Statistician for Health Population and Methods, Interim Deputy National Statistician for Population and Public Policy, Director of Census 2021 Operations, and Director of the Covid-19 Infection Survey.

Megan Cooper – Director for Integrated Data Programme and Service

Simon Sandford-Taylor – Chief Digital and Information Officer, Director of Digital Services and Technology and Head of the Digital, Data and Technology Profession

Simon leads our Digital and Technology Services function. He is responsible for all the systems, devices and technology that supports the ONS.

Simon has held senior IT roles in both the public and private sector. His previous roles include Chief Technology Officer at the Intellectual Property Office and Group Applications Manager at Heath Lambert Group.

Fiona James – Director of Data Growth and Operations and Chief Data Officer

Fiona is Chief Data Officer and Director of Data Growth and Operations. She is an experienced digital, data, technology and policy expert with a deep understanding of the delivery challenges faced by public sector organisations.

She has a track record in leadership through complexity, projects and people in both a policy and service delivery context.

Fiona joined the Civil Service in 2006 as a generalist Fast Streamer at the Department for Transport, where she held policy, strategy and operational roles across aviation, roads and maritime.

She spent four years working on exiting the European Union, leading transport and digital, data and technology readiness at the Cabinet Office, before moving to the Crown Prosecution Service as a digital technology leader, helping to transform criminal justice during the pandemic.

Corporate Services

Tom Taylor – Director of Finance, Planning and Performance

Tom is the Director for Finance, Planning and Performance. Tom is also Chief Financial Officer, supporting Sir Ian’s role as Accounting Officer for the UK Statistics Authority.

Tom has extensive finance, analytical and policy experience from across the civil service.

Philippa Bonay OBE – Director for Operations and Director of People and Business Services

Philippa leads the Operations Group, which includes Communications and Digital Publishing, Security and Information Management, Surveys (including Field) and People and Business Services. The aim of this Group is to provide excellent enabling delivery and enabling corporate functions across the whole of the ONS.

Alongside her role as Director for Operations, Philippa is also the Director for People and Business Services, which is responsible for human resources (HR), estates, facilities management, health and safety, business services. She is also the HR Director for the Government Analysis Function, People Lead for the Government Statistical Service and a member of the Government People Group HR Executive.

Philippa is an experienced executive leader of business and HR teams, with extensive international corporate experience in both the private and public sectors, with specialisms in transformation, leadership, talent, learning and development and organisational design and development. Her career has been driven with a strong ethos for inclusion, fairness, compassion, innovation, and colleague experience.

Philippa was awarded an OBE in 2024 for public and charitable services for her work across the civil service, military and in the violence against women and girls charity sector.

Sarah Moore – Director of Communications and Digital Publishing

Sarah is Director of Communications and Digital Publishing and responsible for the promotion and dissemination of all ONS statistics and analysis. This includes using digital products and content, media handling, stakeholder engagement and internal communications to engage audiences in our data in the most inclusive and innovative way.

Sarah is head of profession for Communications for the UKSA and manages the corporate reputation of the ONS to promote evidence-based policy making and public debate.

Sarah has worked in strategic communications roles across government for over 20 years, previously leading teams at the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs.

Alex Lambert – Director, Social Surveys

Alex leads the organisation in data collection, through our use of social surveys. He is also responsible for the field interviewer community and survey transformation.

Alex has experience in operations and transformation, having previously been at the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

Kate Davies – Director, Business Surveys

Kate’s previous roles in ONS include Programme Director for the Census and Data Collection Transformation Programme and Future Population and Migration Statistics Programme, and Deputy Director for Business Surveys Transformation Division and is well practiced in delivering large scale transformation programmes.

Kate has worked at ONS since 2000, across various roles. Much of her career in ONS has been spent on or around Short-Term Output Indicators in ONS including RSI, Construction, Index of Services and Index of Production. She has delivered both National Accounts and Statistical Training, and editing and validation methods for business surveys, all of which has enabled her to build a detailed knowledge of business surveys.

Keith Nicholson – Chief Security Officer and Security and Information Management

Keith leads the Security and Information Management Directorate which provides security advice and operations to protect the ONS, its services and data assets from threats. The Directorate develops new approaches to secure the operations of the ONS’ leading edge big data analytics that support the organisational statistical mission and its corporate information governance. A key element of the role is to advise the National Statistician on security and information matters and the programme of work to reduce risk and comply with legislation.

Keith has extensive experience of working across government departments and leading security teams to deliver innovative security capabilities and protect critical national infrastructure. Keith is an active commentator on security and governance issues. He regularly presents a unique perspective at security conferences and panel discussion highlighting approaches that ONS use to protect data and ensure it is used appropriately.