Stella Rimington
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Dame Stella Rimington (born May 1935) was the Director-General (DG) of MI5 from 1992 to 1996. She was the first female DG of MI5, and the first DG whose name was publicised on appointment.
Stella Rimington was educated at Nottingham Girls' High School, and at Edinburgh University. She trained as an archivist at Liverpool University.
She joined MI5 in 1967 whilst in India. Between 1969 and 1996 she worked in all three branches of the Security Service (counter subversion, counter espionage and counter terrorism), eventually rising to the position of Director General in 1992.
As DG at MI5, she oversaw a (largely successful) public relations campaign to improve the openness of the service and increase public transparency. She controversially continued this policy by publishing full and frank memoirs after retirement. In 2004 her first novel At Risk about a female secret agent was published.
External link
- BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1532221.stm) article with further information