David Spiegelhalter

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter FRS OBE is a distinguished statistician and expert in risk communication who transforms complex data into clear, practical insight. Emeritus Professor at the University of Cambridge and Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, he has shaped how professionals across healthcare, policy, law, and business interpret statistical evidence. Knighted in 2014 for services to medical statistics and elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005, he served as President of the Royal Statistical Society and currently sits on the board of the UK Statistics Authority. His bestselling book *The Art of Statistics* and acclaimed BBC documentaries have brought statistical literacy to millions. David equips audiences with tools to think clearly about probability and uncertainty, enabling leaders to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and make smarter, evidence-based decisions that directly improve organisational outcomes.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter FRS OBE became a trusted national voice, helping millions make sense of rapidly changing data and uncertain risk. His clear, calm explanations of infection rates, vaccine efficacy, and statistical modelling cut through confusion at a time when understanding numbers became a matter of life and death. That work exemplified a career dedicated to making statistics accessible, relevant, and powerful for everyone who needs to interpret evidence and navigate uncertainty. As Emeritus Professor at the University of Cambridge and Chair of the Winton Centre for Risk and Evidence Communication, David has spent decades transforming how professionals across healthcare, law, policy, and business understand and communicate what data really means.

David's authority rests on rigorous academic foundations and sustained real-world contribution. His pioneering work in medical statistics, particularly Bayesian methods in clinical trials and drug safety, underpins over 200 peer-reviewed publications and six textbooks. In the 1990s, he led the Medical Research Council team that developed WinBUGS, a statistical modelling system now used worldwide for complex data analysis. Elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005 and knighted in 2014 for services to medical statistics, he served as President of the Royal Statistical Society from 2017 to 2018 and currently sits on the board of the UK Statistics Authority, a role extended through to 2026. His bestselling book, The Art of Statistics, brought sophisticated statistical thinking to mainstream readers in 2019, whilst earlier works including The Norm Chronicles and Sex by Numbers showcased his distinctive ability to make numbers engaging and human. His BBC documentaries, including the award-winning Climate Change by Numbers and Tails You Win: The Science of Chance, have reached millions, demonstrating that statistical literacy can be both entertaining and essential.

David equips audiences with practical tools to think clearly about probability, risk, and evidence in ways that directly improve organisational decision-making. Whether addressing business leaders grappling with forecasting challenges, healthcare professionals interpreting trial data, or policymakers weighing competing risks, he makes statistical reasoning immediately applicable. His expertise in communicating uncertainty offers vital guidance for organisations preparing for unpredictable futures, whilst his focus on asking better questions helps teams move beyond surface-level data interpretation. Audiences leave his sessions genuinely empowered to challenge assumptions, spot misleading statistics, and make smarter, evidence-based choices. With warmth, clarity, and a deep understanding of how people relate to numbers, David transforms the way leaders and teams approach the data that shapes their most critical decisions.