The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has appointed Helen Miller as director to succeed Paul Johnson, who will leave in July 2025 after 14 years at the think tank.

Ms Miller joined the IFS in 2007 and has been deputy director since 2019. She has over 17 years of experience analysing UK fiscal policy, having been head of tax since 2016. She has served as a trustee to the Royal Economic Society.

Harry Gaskell, chair of the IFS board of rrustees, said:  “The job of Director of the IFS is one of the most sought-after in the UK public policy arena. We had a wide range of very talented applicants, and I am delighted that it is Helen who has emerged from this strong field.”

Mr Johnson, who will become Provost of Queen’s College, Oxford, in the summer, said Ms Miller “will bring energy, insight and a deep commitment to the IFS mission and culture to the role.”

He joined the IFS as a graduate in 1988, leaving in 1998, and returning as director in 2011. He has become a familiar face on television, commenting on the tax policies of various governments.

When he announced his departure in October he said: “The IFS has been an incredibly important part of my life. I love it, what it does and what it stands for, and all my amazing colleagues. But after 14 years at the helm, it feels like the right time to move on.”