Anne Kist-Butler is the first woman to lead the British intelligence agency GCHQ and will take up her new position next month.

“Ann Kist-Butler has an impressive resume at the heart of the UK’s national security network. This has helped counter threats from terrorists, cybercriminals and malevolent foreign powers. She’s the perfect candidate to lead GCHQ. Ann will use her extensive experience to keep the British public safe,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said when announcing his appointment.

A. Kist-Butler is a mother of three and is currently Deputy Director General of MI5, responsible for coordinating the agency’s work with allied forces to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I had the honor of working for GCHQ a few years ago. So I know that I am once again joining a group of high-level people, from different walks of life, with a wide range of skills, all of whom have one goal: to make our country safer and therefore more prosperous. I am interested in continuing to ensure that GCHQ is an organization where everyone can work to the best of their ability,” she said shortly after her appointment.

He will succeed Sir Jeremy Fleming, who announced his resignation in January after six years in office.

GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is the United Kingdom’s intelligence agency that investigates cybersecurity issues on the Internet. He works closely with both MI6 and MI5, as well as with the police, the Department of Defense, similar agencies abroad, and the academic community.

MI5 is the UK’s secret intelligence agency that gathers and processes information domestically, while MI6 focuses its investigations outside the UK.

Source: RES-IPE