Director-General of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia

Ms Genovefa Ružić graduated at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics, in economic analysis and planning in January 1985. She started her career at the Statistical Office 31 years ago and has since worked in different statistical domains, mainly in the field of social and economic statistics. She was also Head of the Social Statistics Division. For six years she worked for the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs as Head of Analysis and Development in the Field of Social Affairs. At that time she was an intensive user of statistics while preparing analyses and studies as a basis for decision-making. She coordinated the preparation of the first national Programme to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Ms Ružić was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Statistical Office of Slovenia in June 2003. As Deputy Director-General she was responsible for leading key projects at the Statistical Office of Slovenia and for coordination with other national institutions. She was Deputy President of the Statistical Council of Slovenia and a member of the Slovenian Council for Sustainable Development. Ms Ružić was Chair of the Council Working Party on Statistics during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2008.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia appointed Ms Ružić Director-General of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia effective on 21 August 2013 for a period of five years.

Her professional work involves also activities in European statistical system and in the international statistical environment.  The European Statistical System Committee elected her chair of the ESS Partnership Group for the 2016-2018 period.

Ms Ružić is also a member of the UNECE High-level Group for the Modernisation of Official Statistics and a member of the Bureau of the OECD Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy.

Chief Statistician of Canada, Wayne Smith

Born in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Wayne Smith completed an Honours B.A. and
Masters degree in Economics at Carleton University in Ottawa.

His early career was in the library, academic and news media sectors.  In 1981, he joined Statistics Canada, working in the advisory services, communications, census and agriculture programs before becoming Director of Communications Division in 1990.  After assignments as Director of Special Surveys Division and Director General of Regional Operations Branch, he was appointed in 2004 as Assistant Chief Statistician, Communications and Operations.

In April 2009, he became Assistant Chief Statistician of Business and Trade Statistics Field.  In this role, his principal responsibilities involved the conduct of Statistics Canada surveys and administrative data programs in the areas of agriculture, business, international trade and prices.  On September 2nd, 2010, by Order in Council, Wayne R. Smith was appointed interim Chief Statistician and confirmed as Chief Statistician of Canada on January 18, 2011.

Mr. Smith chairs the Conference of European Statisticians under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and is vice-chair of the Bureau of the OECD Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy.  At the request of the UN Secretary-General, in 2014 he served on an Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development.