After spending nine years as Joint Head of the GES, Sam is excited to continue to lead the economics profession as the sole Head
Sam will lead the GES with a continued focus on promoting values of openness and diversity, and on maximising the impact and influence of the economics profession in government.
Sam says:
“It is a privilege to continue to lead the Government Economic Service. The rigorous and respected analysis carried out by GES economists ensures that members of our profession remain at the heart of policy making. Leading the GES, and chairing the GES Boards, continues to be a source of great pride for me. I look forward to continuing to drive forward our key strategic priorities, with a focus on ensuring a diverse workforce, attracting the brightest and the best, and creating an environment in which economists from all backgrounds thrive and succeed. My goal is to support GES members to produce brilliant evidence and analysis in order to support a resilient, productive, and growing economy.”
Sam Beckett, Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury
Sam was appointed as Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury in May 2023.
Prior to this, she was Second Permanent Secretary at the ONS and the Deputy Chief Executive at the UK Statistics Authority. In this role, Sam looked after Economic, Social and Environmental Statistics, alongside corporate services. Between 2013 and 2023, she was also joint head of the Government Economic Service. Directly prior to ONS, she was acting Permanent Secretary at BEIS, where, among other things, she oversaw the department’s COVID-19 response. Prior to that, she was a Director General at BEIS, responsible for the Department’s broad and complex EU-exit preparations.
Sam has over 25 years’ experience as a civil servant, in roles spanning micro and macro-economics, strategy, policy and corporate services delivery. Sam has a degree from New College, Oxford and an MSc in Economics from the LSE. She was made a Companion of the Bath (CB) in 2020.
Head of the Government Economic Service
Responsibilities include:
leading the GES community to champion the use of economics and support economists across government;
chairing the GES Corporate Board, helping to direct core policy decisions and leading discussion and debate among Chief Economists;
being the key spokesperson for the economics profession across government and to external audiences.