Anne Keast-Butler is set to become the first woman to lead the UK’s cyber and signals intelligence agency, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), in over a century. Currently the deputy director general at MI5, Keast-Butler is due to succeed Jeremy Fleming, who announced his departure in January after six years at GCHQ.
Described as an exceptional candidate, Keast-Butler is said to have played a pivotal role in counter-terrorism, counter-cybercrime and counter-espionage during her career.
Keast-Butler has held a number of key operational roles at MI5, including as the director general responsible for the agency’s operational, investigative and protective security work.
She has also spent time on secondment at GCHQ, where she was head of counterterrorism and serious organised crime. Keast-Butler said she was “delighted to be appointed” and praised the contribution GCHQ has made in the last year in helping to disrupt terrorist plots, contribute vital intelligence to shape the West’s response to the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, and tackle the ongoing threat of ransomware.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverley praised Keast-Butler’s “impressive track record working at the heart of the UK’s national security network; helping to counter threats posed by terrorists, cyber-criminals and malign foreign powers.”
Tim Barrow, the UK’s national security adviser, also expressed his gratitude to Fleming for his service and for being “an exceptional director of GCHQ.” Fleming described Keast-Butler’s appointment as “fantastic news for the organisation.”
Keast-Butler has said that she is passionate about ensuring GCHQ is an organisation where everyone can perform to their best, and that she is looking forward to building on the transformation that has taken place under Fleming’s leadership.
With her deep experience of intelligence and security in today’s technology-driven world, Keast-Butler is ideally placed to lead GCHQ and to help keep the British public safe.
