Life, the universe and Data Governance with OECD Chief Statistician Steve MacFeely

Data is the lifeblood of the modern economy - powering decision-making, daily life, and the AI revolution. But governing data is full of trade-offs: openness and trust vs privacy and regulation; cross-border sharing vs sovereignty; and timeliness vs quality. In this episode of Behind the Numbers, host Ashley Ward is joined by OECD Chief Statistician Steve MacFeely to explore why data governance has become a core policy challenge - and what it means for the future of official statistics and AI. We follow Steve’s journey from Cork to Geneva to Paris; unpack his thoughts on metadata; and find out where he thinks the international statistical community should double down – or back off – over the coming decade. Host: Ashley Ward, Director’s Office Advisor and Communications Manager (OECD Statistics and Data Directorate) Guest: Steve MacFeely, OECD Chief Statistician (OECD Statistics and Data Directorate) To learn more about the OECD, our global reach, and how to join us, go to To keep up with latest at the OECD, visit Get the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox!

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Life, the universe and Data Governance with OECD Chief Statistician Steve MacFeely is an episode from OECD by OECD.

This episode is 00:38:22 long.

This episode was published on Feb 24, 2026.

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