Alison is the Chief Executive of the Higher Education Statistics Agency, a post she has held since August 2009.

Following an early career in archaeology, Alison moved into IT through roles at the British Museum and the National Maritime Museum. She gained her MSc in Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1989 pursuing a career in IT latterly in higher education and moving to the University of Bristol in 2003 as Director of Information Services. She was appointed Deputy Registrar and Director of Information Services at the University in 2004.