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The longest serving MI6 Chief in more than 50 years, Sir Alex led the service through a period of dramatic geopolitical uncertainty and technological change. He put transforming the service into a more innovative, agile, open organisation at the top of his agenda, creating an agency fit for a world of hybrid conflict aimed at undermining fundamental democratic values.
Sir Alex Younger served as Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) for six years, making him the longest-serving head of the agency in five decades. During this tenure, Sir Alex guided the UK’s intelligence service through a period of significant geopolitical and technological change, leading efforts to modernise MI6’s operations and address new threats ranging from state-sponsored cyber attacks to hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns.
Before joining MI6, Sir Alex served as a British Army officer with overseas deployments in Europe and the Middle East. His early MI6 roles placed him on the front lines of global conflict, operating in the Balkans during the wars of the 1990s. He went on to hold senior intelligence postings in Europe and the Middle East, and later became MI6’s Head of Station in Afghanistan during the aftermath of the US-led invasion, arguably one of the most complex intelligence environments of the modern era.
Returning to London, Sir Alex was appointed Head of Counter-Terrorism at MI6, responsible for the UK’s global counter-terrorism strategy during a time of heightened threat following the 7/7 London bombings and in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics. He joined the National Security Council, advising the Prime Minister directly on intelligence and security matters, and maintaining a global network of intelligence chiefs.
As Chief of MI6, Sir Alex led a transformation aimed at turning technology from threat into into a strategic advantage. He championed openness and accountability in a traditionally (and necessarily) secretive world, delivering a rare public speech at his former university, the University of St Andrews. In a speech that attracted the attention of the public, the intelligence community and politicians, he highlighted the need for 21st century intelligence services to evolve with technological innovation and defend shared democratic values against hostile actors. He also warned of increasing hybrid attacks by anti-democratic states, combining cyber attacks, propaganda and economic pressure to undermine liberal conventions.
Throughout his leadership, Sir Alex argued that liberal democracies must work actively to prevent the erosion of a broad, global consensus around human rights, advocating for a renewed approach to enforcement in the face of rapidly changing and growing threats. Sir Alex shares his insights on the interplay of geopolitics, technology and intelligence, reflecting on the challenges of leadership in a world where the balance of power is increasingly shaped by disruption, innovation and agility.
