Denise Lievesley, CBE, is a leading social statistician whose work has shaped statistical systems in the UK and internationally.
As the former Director of Statistics at UNESCO, she founded the Institute for Statistics. She is also a past leader of the Royal Statistical Society and International Statistical Institute, where her influence on the field is profound. Following all this, her experience was called upon most recently to lead a review of the UK Statistics Authority.
This International Women’s Day is a reminder of the vital role that women like Denise play in ensuring that statistics accurately reflect the diverse experiences of everyone in society to strengthen public trust in data.
Denise Lievesley on Code of Practice 3.0
Launched in November 2025, the refreshed Code of Practice for Statistics 3.0 centres on three standards: Trustworthiness, Quality and Value. Together, these keep users at the heart of statistical production and help build public confidence in official statistics.
OSR spoke to Denise about why the Code matters:
“The Code is really important in underpinning the importance of statistics that are trustworthy, and that’s essential for our democracy.” For Denise, the Code is also a practical tool: “I use it in an advocacy role because I’m trying to ensure that people understand why statistics are critical, the relationship between trust and trustworthiness, and what we do when something goes wrong.”
Code 3.0 introduces new Standards for the Public Use of Statistics, Data and Wider Analysis, setting expectations for how public bodies communicate statistics with transparency, integrity and accuracy.
Denise comments on this development: “I value the new version because it highlights the importance of users and recognises that trust in statistics is a shared responsibility across the wider community.”
As we mark International Women’s Day, it feels especially fitting to celebrate leaders like Denise, whose advocacy continues to promote the refreshed Code to strengthen our statistical system, and enrich our democracy through having credible evidence.
Denise welcomes the opportunity to support Women’s day: “Over the course of my career I have been very happy to see an increasing impact of the technical and professional contributions of women and to celebrate how diversity of statisticians (in terms of their education, backgrounds, circumstances etc) has improved the quality of the questions we can explore with our data. It is important that statisticians are free to address issues even if they are uncomfortable or challenge received wisdom.”
“Through my various roles in the UN and more recently in academia as well as my connections with official statistics agencies I have been so fortunate to help young people to thrive professionally by inspiring them to embrace their individual paths while drawing on the advice and experience of others, though I recognise that juggling priorities is harder these days.”
Denise concluded by reflecting proudly on her niece who: “In her thirties, is a full professor of theoretical physics. I am in awe of how she and her husband manage to nurture both their two small children, their research and the education of their students.”