Alan Smith Headshot
Report a problem with this profile
[email protected]

Alan Smith    

Head of Visual and Data Journalism at Financial Times

Alan Smith is the head of visual and data journalism at the Financial Times. With a background in cartography and digital mapping, he has spent the last decade finding ways of bringing statistics to wider audiences.

A data visualization specialist, he writes the FT’s popular “Chart Doctor” column, and in 2010, he was an inaugural recipient of the Royal Statistical Society's Award for Excellence in Official Statistics. He was appointed Office of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen's 2011 Birthday Honours list.

Alan is an experienced presenter, having lectured extensively on how to communicate with data. His TEDx talk, “Why you should love statistics,” was a TED.com featured talk in 2017. Previously, he worked at the UK’s Office for National Statistics, where he founded its award-winning Data Visualisation Centre.

Previously he was Head of Digital Content at the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). Alan received a BA in geography from the University of Lancaster and holds an MSc in GIS from Salford University.

Related Speakers View all


More like Alan