Sir Ian Diamond is to step down from his role at Edinburgh College when he becomes the UK’s national statistician in October.
However, he will continue in his role as the chair of the Commission for the College of the Future, according to the Association of Colleges. Chief executive David Hughes told Tes that Sir Ian remained committed to his work on the four-nation commission.
Sir Ian is set to begin his new role as chief executive of the UK Statistics Authority, permanent secretary of the Office for National Statistics and head of the Government Statistical Service on 22 October.
He will step down as chair of Edinburgh College on 31 October, a role he has held since March 2018.
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‘A personal privilege’
Scottish FE minister Richard Lochhead said: “We thank Professor Sir Ian Diamond for his contribution as chair of Edinburgh College and wish him well in his appointment as UK national statistician. Vice-chair Ann Landels will be appointed as interim chair from 1 November and the Scottish government will shortly begin a recruitment process for his replacement.”
Edinburgh College principal Audrey Cumberford said: “As principal of Edinburgh College I have had the personal privilege of working with Sir Ian in his role as chair. His vision for our college, to be Scotland’s pre-eminent college and a beacon for the sector has been at the core of his ambition. Driving this has been his commitment and passion for making a real difference to people’s lives and our local communities.”
Ann Landels, vice chair of Edinburgh College said Sir Ian had shown great leadership in his time as chair.
“I look forward to working with the board to carry on the great work and vision which has been set out by Sir Ian, and continue to deliver life-changing education and training to more than 26,000 students across the region. We wish Sir Ian well in his new position.”
National statistician
When his appointment as national statistician was announced, Sir Ian said: “The UK’s statistical system is one admired world-over and it is an enormous privilege to have been appointed as the UK’s national statistician. I’m looking forward to building on the work of John Pullinger, as we make use of rich new data sources to deliver the data decision-makers across the UK need.
“I’m particularly excited to be working with staff across the Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service, as we empower our partners in parliament, academia, business and beyond with trusted and quality data.”
In January, it was announced he would chair a four-nation commission, asked to consider what a college should look like in the “mid-2020s”. The commission met for the first time in March.
