Robert Chote | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of theUK Statistics Authority | |
| In office 1 June 2022 – 8 July 2025 | |
| Preceded by | SirDavid Norgrove |
| Chairman of theOffice for Budget Responsibility | |
| In office 4 October 2010[1] – 4 October 2020 | |
| Preceded by | SirAlan Budd |
| Succeeded by | Richard Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-01-24)24 January 1968 (age 58) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge City University, London Johns Hopkins University |
Sir Robert William Chote (born 24 January 1968[2]) is aBritisheconomist and president ofTrinity College, Oxford. Previously he was chair of theUK Statistics Authority[3][4] and chairman of theOffice of Budget Responsibility from 2010 to 2020.[5][6]
Chote completed his secondary education atSt Mary's College inBitterne Park,Southampton.[7] In 1989, he graduated in economics fromQueens' College, Cambridge (where he was president of theCambridge University Social Democrats and, after the merger of the SDP with the Liberals, chair of theCambridge University Social and Liberal Democrats). He then studied journalism atCity University, London, and international public policy at theSchool of Advanced International Studies atJohns Hopkins University in the United States.[8][9]
Chote began his career as a reporter and columnist atThe Independent and was named Young Financial Journalist of the Year in 1993 when working for theIndependent on Sunday by theWincott Foundation. He then moved to theFinancial Times to become Economics Editor in 1995.[8]
From 1999 to 2002, he served as an adviser to the senior management of theInternational Monetary Fund inWashington, D.C., where he worked underStanley Fischer andAnne Krueger. Chote was appointed director of theInstitute for Fiscal Studies in October 2002.[8] He has also served as a member of the Statistics Advisory Committee of theOffice for National Statistics.
In September 2010, he was appointed chairman of theOffice of Budget Responsibility, succeeding SirAlan Budd. This appointment was subject to Parliamentary approval, which was received.[10] He started as chairman on 4 October 2010. As of 2015, Chote was paid a salary of between £150,000 and £154,999 by the department, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[11] He served two five-year terms and stepped down in 2020.
In March 2021, he began as the inaugural chair of the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council, which was established to provide independent scrutiny of the NI public finances.[12]
On 1 June 2022, Chote was appointed chairman of theUK Statistics Authority.[3][4] Chote also has a position as a senior advisor at Francis Maude Associates, a consultancy set up byFrancis Maude.[13]
In May 2024, Chote was appointed the next president ofTrinity College, Oxford. He took up the position on 1 September 2025, succeedingDame Hilary Boulding as the college's 29th president.[14]
Chote wasknighted in the2021 New Year Honours for services to fiscal policy and the economy.[15]
Since 1997, Chote has been married to BaronessSharon White,[16][17] the former chairman of theJohn Lewis Partnership and previously the chief executive ofOfcom. The couple has two children.[18]He is the son of Olympic athleteMorville Chote.[19]
The Queen has been pleased by Royal Warrant under Her Royal Sign Manual dated 17 June 2022 to appoint Sir Robert William Chote, Knight, to be Chairman of the Statistics Board (otherwise known as the UK Statistics Authority) for a period of five years commencing on and from 1 June 2022 until and concluding on 31 May 2027.
