Stella Rimington, the first woman to direct the British internal intelligence service, MI5, died on Sunday at the age of 90, announced this service on Monday, August 4.
Patron from MI5 from 1992 to 1996, it is considered what inspired the character of “M” played by actress Judi Dench in James Bond films.
She was the first general director of the MI5 whose name was publicly announced by this organization. And as the first woman in this position, “broke the old barriers and embodied the importance of diversity in leadership,” he praised the current Chief of MI5, Ken McCallum, in a press release.
“A new era of openness and transparency”
It allowed “a new era of openness and transparency in the work done by MI5 to guarantee the security of the country, an inheritance that still continues today,” he said. In particular, he had started the transmission of the MI5 files to the national archives.
Ken McCallum presented his condolences on behalf of his services to the husband, the two daughters and the whole family of Stella Rimington.
Born on May 13, 1935 in southern Norwood, in southern London, she began working full time at MI5 in 1969. She had been recruited four years before as a fingerprint partly for this service at the British embassy in New Delhi, where she had accompanied her diplomatic husband.
Within the MI5, he held charges in counterintelligence and anti -terrorism, before setting up the stairs to the position of the general director.
After her, another woman directed MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller, between 2002 and 2007.
On June 15, a woman, Blaise Metreweli, was first appointed at the head of the British intelligence service, the MI6.
Source: BFM TV
