A conversation with Geoffrey Hole

Articles and reports: 12-001-X202500100001
Description: Geoffrey J.C. Hole (or Geoff, as he likes to be called) was born on January 24, 1940 at Shardeloes, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, to Charles William Hole and Sybil Winifred Hole, formerly Morge. He completed a BSc Honours in Mathematics in 1961, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics at Manchester University the following year. He started his career as a mathematical statistician in London, England, working successively for the National Coal Board (1962-63), the Central Electricity Generating Board (1963-66), and the Electricity Council (1966-67), where his title was Economist. He moved to Canada in 1967 to join the Dominion Bureau of Statistics (DBS) as a survey methodologist. In 1971-72, he was Chief of Census Operations, Methodology and Quality Control Section, and Assistant Coordinator, Socio-Economic Survey Methods Section. He then took a one-year leave of absence to complete an MSc (Econ) in Statistics at the London School of Economics. In 1973, Geoff returned to the DBS, which had become Statistics Canada, as Chief, Methodology Group V, Business Survey Methods Division. In 1974, he was appointed Director, Institutions and Agriculture Survey Methods Division, and, as of 1986, Director, Business Survey Methods Division. His career culminated when he became Director, Social Survey Methods Division, in 1987. He held that position until his retirement, on September 29, 2004. In addition to his long-term involvement at Statistics Canada, including as a member of the Editorial Board of Survey Methodology between 1983 and 1987, Geoff was very active in the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC), serving among others as Chair of the Program Committee for the 1986 Annual Meeting at the Banff Centre, in Alberta, and President of the SSC in 1989-90. He was also Program Chair for a joint conference of the International Association of Survey Statisticians and the International Association for Official Statistics which was held in Aguascalientes, Mexico, in 1998.
Issue Number: 2025001
Author(s): Genest, Christian
Main Product: Survey Methodology
Format Release date More information
HTML June 30, 2025
PDF June 30, 2025

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