Head of MI5 Ken McCallum has been knighted in the New Year Honours.
Sir Ken is made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) for his more than 25 years of service to UK national security.
He became the youngest ever director general of MI5 in 2020.
Under his leadership, the security service has navigated an increasingly complex threat landscape, with rising concerns from hostile states and domestic extremism.
In 2021, Sir Ken noted the growing involvement of teenagers in right-wing terrorism and warned about the dangers of online extremism.
He also highlighted the increasing threats from Russia, China and Iran.
In 2022, he stated the UK must be ready for long-term Russian aggression and called the Chinese Communist Party a “game-changing” global threat.
Earlier this year, he said Russia is intent on causing “mayhem” on UK streets and that Iranian-backed plots are posing “lethal threats”.
Sir Ken has overseen MI5’s efforts to adapt to these emerging risks.
In March 2023, he expressed regret over MI5’s failure to prevent the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, after the inquiry into the attack found it might have been prevented if the agency had acted on key intelligence received in the months before.
Previously, Sir Ken oversaw counter-terrorism operations for the 2012 London Olympics and was promoted to deputy director general in 2017, guiding MI5 through the terrorist attacks that year, prompting a review that reshaped the agency’s approach to extremism.
He also led MI5’s response to the 2018 Salisbury nerve agent attack.
Sir Ken’s early career focused on Northern Ireland-related terrorism, later expanding into countering Islamist extremism, cyber threats, and MI5 strategy.
He has also served on the board of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and worked at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
A graduate in mathematics from the University of Glasgow, Sir Ken grew up in Glasgow and was state-educated.
