The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has appointed OCSI co-founder Tom Smith as the first Managing Director of its new Data Science Campus.
Heather Savory, ONS Deputy National Statistician for Data Capability said, “Tom is joining ONS as we work to gain practical advantage from the wealth of data available to help inform decision making and build Data Science capability for the UK. He has a full understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead of us, combined with entrepreneurial drive and intellectual rigour and excellent knowledge of emerging technologies and techniques to deliver the 'art of the possible' using data.”
The ONS Data Science Campus is set to act as a hub for the whole of Government to gain practical advantage from the wider investment in data science research and help cement the UK’s reputation as an international leader in data science.
“I'm enormously excited to be joining the ONS Data Science Campus and helping to shape and deliver this step change in the UK government’s ability to use data to drive better public services,” said Tom Smith. “I look forward to supporting and developing an innovative and high-performing data science team and to building and strengthening partnerships across ONS, public and private sector organisations and academia”
Tom is co-founder and Managing Director of OCSI, a research and technology 'spin-out' company from the University of Oxford. He has 20 years’ experience using data and analysis to improve public and community services. He is chair of the Environment Agency Data Advisory Group, vice-chair of the Royal Statistical Society Official Statistics section, and previously a member of the Open Data User Group ministerial advisory group to Cabinet Office. He led the government’s English Indices of Deprivation, and has led data projects with hundreds of local and national public and community sector organisations, and has acted as an external advisor on opening-up, sharing and using data for the Office for National Statistics, Department for Communities and Local Government, Audit Commission, Improvement and Development Agency (IDEA), Department for Work and Pensions, and local government agencies.
Tom will take up his post officially in January 2017, but will be working with ONS Data Science Campus colleagues ahead of this time.
For more information about the ONS Data Science Campus, located at its Newport HQ, go to: www.ons.gov.uk/datasciencecampus
For more information, including photograph of Tom Smith, contact Helena Hird, Senior Media Relations Officer at the Office for National Statistics on 020 75928668.
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