Mark Sowden was appointed as Government Statistician and Chief Executive of Stats NZ in January 2020.
A career public servant, Mark is particularly proud of having had the ability throughout his career to help people make a difference to their lives. Leading the country’s primary data and statistics agency and the Government’s principal advisor on statistical matters, he is passionate about how data can allow us to make better, informed decisions.
In his role, Mark is responsible for how and when Stats NZ produces statistics, and the authorising of published data and statistics. He is the Government Chief Data Steward, supporting the government to realise the potential of data to improve well-being while maintaining and building trust in its use. In this role, he also leads New Zealand’s open data programme.
Currently a Vice Chair for the Conference of the European Statisticians, Mark is also on the UNECE Task Force for Data Stewardship and is the New Zealand representative on the United Nations Statistical Commission.
Mark’s overriding passion is people leadership; creating work environments where people excel. This is the unifying thread of his roles as a senior public service leader.
These roles include Deputy Chief Executive at both the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry for the Environment. His interest in the environmental sector led to six years at the Ministry for the Environment.
The value of trusted data has been reinforced for Mark through his time and experience as a senior leader in the state sector. He believes strongly in the critical role it plays in shaping public debate and informing decisions to change the lives of everyday New Zealanders.
Earlier in his career at Stats NZ, Mark was the Deputy Government Statistician, leading the strategy and customer delivery division. He is an experienced system leader, establishing the data system lead function at Stats NZ and helping drive system focus to the Natural Resources Sector and Housing/Homelessness. He also led the budget process at The Treasury for five years.
A career highlight for Mark was leading the freshwater and resource management rights and interests conversations with Iwi Māori on behalf of the Crown.
He has a long, close working relationship with Māori – over many years and issues – that continues today. This includes working closely with Māori groups on housing, and now at Stats NZ working for and with Māori in the use of data and statistics.
Mark’s academic background is in finance, accounting and economics, holding a Master of Commerce degree from the University of Canterbury. He grew up on a sheep and crop farm in the South Island of New Zealand.
Mark balances the challenges of his career with personal interests in travel and culture, fine food, and keeping up with the demands of his two cats, Winston (a moggy) and Cordelia (a British Blue).
