The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is today announcing the appointment of James Benford as the new Director General for the Economic, Social and Environmental statistics Group (ESEG).
He will bolster the ONS’s executive team at a crucial time as the organisation progresses work to renew confidence in its economic statistics. Key to this will be driving forward improvements to the quality of ONS’s key statistical outputs, as well as addressing findings from the upcoming independent review of the ONS by Sir Robert Devereux.
James will join the ONS on 4 August 2025 from the Bank of England where he is currently Executive Director for Data and Analytics Transformation and Chief Data Officer.
Commenting on the appointment the Acting National Statistician, Emma Rourke, said:
“I am delighted to welcome James at this pivotal moment for the ONS. He brings a wealth of leadership and transformation experience from his role at the Bank of England, as well as outstanding expertise in the field of economic statistics, data, analytics and AI-driven innovation.
“I have the utmost confidence in James’ ability to lead our economics team as we prioritise investment in our core statistics and embrace a more open and outward looking approach with our statistics users.”
On his new appointment, James Benford said:
“I am honoured to take up this role at such a pivotal moment. I am excited to work with the talented and dedicated teams at the ONS to strengthen the quality and relevance of statistics - and to rebuild public trust in the data that informs so many critical decisions.
“Better statistics require better alignment - not only within the ONS, but across the entire system. I look forward to collaborating with users and data suppliers across government, business, and academia to harness new data sources, embrace innovation, and ensure our statistics are fit for the challenges of a fast-evolving world.”
Notes to Editors
James Benford - Biography
James joins the ONS from the Bank of England, where he is currently Executive Director for Data and Analytics Transformation and Chief Data Officer. In this role he leads the Bank’s regulatory and statistical data collections and drives enterprise-wide transformation to improve the way data and analytics supports policymaking and operations. He also spearheads the Bank’s strategy for safe and effective use of Artificial Intelligence.
Between 2020 and 2023, James held senior Civil Service roles, including Director for Analysis at the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Director of the Economics Group at HM Treasury, where he also served as Departmental Head of Profession for Analysis and established the Treasury’s data science hub.
James first joined the Bank of England in 2005 and has worked extensively across monetary and financial policy and represented the UK in G20 fora. He was also Private Secretary to Governors Mark Carney and Andrew Bailey from 2018 to 2020.