Jil Matheson has been appointed as the new National Statistician, succeeding Dame Karen Dunnell. She won't need to move far: she is already Director General for Statistics Delivery in the ONS, and has 30 years' experience working in a variety of roles in national statistics. 

She has worked as the Director of Census, Demographic and Regional Statistics, designed, managed and reported on a number of household surveys; led teams responsible for social reports such as Social Trends; and worked on National Statistics policy and the introduction of the Code of Practice. 

She was appointed yesterday by HM The Queen, which certainly gives the job a touch of class. Her appointmnt was welcomed by the RSS. Jill Leyland, Vice-President, said: “Jil Matheson takes over at a pivotal time in official statistics. Recent legislation has the potential to put the system on more independent footing but the complexity of the UK’s statistical organisation means that much depends on the way the Act is implemented and the structures and procedures put in place.

"Working alongside the UK Statistics Authority, the new National Statistician will need to be able to build successfully on the excellent foundations laid by her predecessor, Dame Karen Dunnell, in order to preserve the many strengths of UK official statistics and remedy the weaker aspects.

“Statistics are, of course, produced to be used. The use of official statistics outside of central government is growing rapidly. Not only is the community of professional users diverse, but there is increasing focus on ‘citizen users’, members of the public using data to inform their own lives. Jil Matheson will need to ensure that all users, whether in government or not, are listened to.

"With statistical use growing, it becomes even more important that they are communicated well. They must be easy to find, in formats that are readily useable, and in language that is easy to understand. There are real problems to be solved in this area.

“The Royal Statistical Society is confident that Jil Matheson has the qualities to take on these challenges and ensure that the UK official statistical system remains one of the best in the world. We offer her our support and wish her every success”