UKRI Chief Finance Officer and UKRI Board member
Tom Taylor
Thomas Taylor is Chief Finance Officer at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Tom has an MA and MSc in economics and joined the civil service in 1994, as an economist in the Department for Social Security.
After an early career in the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), Tom made a career change into finance, qualifying as an accountant (CPFA) and completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Finance and Leadership.
Tom was Finance Director in Defra between 2009 and 2013, where he was a member of the departmental board. Between 2013 and 2017, Tom was Director of Corporate Operations in the Office of Rail and Road, where he led multiple corporate service functions.
Tom then spent six years as Chief Financial Officer in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the then parent department for UKRI, where he was a member of both the executive committee and departmental board.
Since 2023, Tom has been Chief Financial Officer in the Office for National Statistics where he has led various corporate services across several sites in the UK.
Last updated: 26 October 2026