Sign In

Hetan Shah

Chief Executive, The British Academy

Hetan Shah is the Chief Executive of the British Academy, the UK's national academy for humanities and social sciences, a position he has held since February 2020.138 He also serves as Chair of Our World in Data, an organization focused on global challenges through data-driven research.147 In 2024, he was appointed by the UK Parliament to the Board of the National Audit Office, the UK’s independent spending watchdog.148

Key Roles and Affiliations

  • Visiting Professor at King’s College London’s Policy Institute.479
  • Fellow of Birkbeck, University of London, where he earned a master’s degree in history and politics.167
  • Advisory roles include the Bennett Institute for Public Policy (University of Cambridge), UCL Policy Lab, and Resolution Foundation.4810

Career Highlights

  • Executive Director of the Royal Statistical Society (2011–2019), where he launched initiatives like the Data Manifesto and Statistical Ambassadors program.13
  • Advocated for transparency in government data use and criticized all-male panel sessions in policy discussions.1
  • Authored the Health Foundation’s 2025 REAL lecture on AI and health.1

Education

  • Studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Oxford (1996).1
  • Postgraduate qualifications from Nottingham Law School and Birkbeck.16

His LinkedIn username is @hetanshah, where he actively engages on platforms like Threads and Bluesky.2511

Highlights

Sep 20 · twitter

The spike in child deaths in China during the Great Leap Forward was so big you can also see it impact the global trend line https://t.co/rSMAt80JXJ @OurWorldInData https://t.co/1W69BqkT9f

The spike in child deaths in China during the Great Leap Forward was so big you can also see it impa
Aug 30 · linkedin

Government has re-advertised the appointment of the chief executive of UK Research and Innovation. It is a hugely important role for R&D, and in turn for the UK's long term prosperity, security and health. Deadline 30th September.

Related Questions

What are Hetan Shah's main achievements at the British Academy?
How has Hetan Shah influenced public policy through his roles?
What initiatives did Hetan Shah introduce at the Royal Statistical Society?
How does Hetan Shah's background in philosophy, politics, and economics influence his leadership?
What are the key projects Hetan Shah has led at the British Academy?
Hetan Shah
Hetan Shah, photo 1
Hetan Shah, photo 2
Add to my network

Location

United Kingdom