The State Data Agency will continue to be headed by Dr Jūratė Petrauskienė
Dr Jūratė Petrauskienė, Director General of the State Data Agency, has been appointed for a second five-year term of office. Such decision was taken by the Government on Wednesday.
The Government indicates that the performance of the Director of the State Data Agency during her first term of office (2022) was rated as very good and that the results of the evaluation in 2023 exceeded expectations.
Jūratė Petrauskienė, who holds a Doctoral Degree (PhD) in Mathematics, became Head of the State Data Agency (the former Department of Statistics) in 2019.
During the first term of office of Dr Jūratė Petrauskienė as Director, the Department of Statistics became the State Data Agency. The organisation has undergone a major reform, expanding its functions and setting new strategic goals and objectives. The range and quality of services have also expanded considerably in recent years.
The importance of proper data management and use was particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic – during this period, the State Data Agency acquired the technology to monitor the situation in real time and make the necessary decisions.
Last year, with the adoption of the new Law on Official Statistics and State Data Governance, the State Data Agency became responsible for the re-use of all state data for various purposes (as provided in the Law). The Agency brings together data from different institutions in one common ecosystem – the data lake. The country has essentially entered a new phase of state data management. The data lake is constantly being updated, with more than 200 public sector data sources already available. This allows national authorities to address a wide range of analytical challenges in a secure environment, the answers to which are needed to make decisions of national importance. Data enables everyone – government, science, business, people – to understand reality and make the right decisions.
“In my first year as Head of Statistics Lithuania, we have experienced a turning point initiated by successive crises, the data of which we took upon ourselves to manage without hesitation.” The greatest achievement of my first term of office has been the reform of the organisation, the extension of its mandate, and the provision of new services to institutions, business, science and society. As I am appointed for a second term of office, I feel valued and trusted. This will allow me to continue and consolidate the changes that have been initiated in this organisation,” says Dr Jūratė Petrauskienė.
In the coming year, the plan is to move to a new generation of statistics – more timely, more detailed and more diverse. The aim is also to respond as flexibly as possible to user needs for detailed and timely statistical information. It is planned to continue to replenish the data lake with new data and to foster national data culture. The Agency sets out the ambition to be a fully-fledged state data manager and data analysis competence centre, to ensure mutually beneficial relationships with partners, and to create an inspiring environment.
In the context of the European Union, the State Data Agency is one of the leaders in the development of data integration, opening and use.