Lord Jonathan Evans was Director-General of the British Security Service (MI5) from 2007-13, and will be discussing our current security challenges.

Dubbed by The Independent as ‘the spy who came out from the cold’, Lord Evans was Britain’s top domestic spy. His main focus was counter-terrorism, both international and domestic, including initiatives against cyber threats.

In the course of a long career in MI5, Lord Evans worked as both an investigator and an operational officer on a variety of national security threats, specialising in counterterrorism and counterespionage. He became the Director responsible for MI5’s International Counterterrorism work on 1 September 2001, just ten days before 9/11.

Lord Evans became Head of MI5 in 2007, when he ushered in a new era for the agency, leading it through a period of rapid change and giving the first ever public interview by a sitting MI5 leader. Lord Evans stated: “I will continue to make MI5 as visible as possible. It is right that the public should understand the way we work, and the thinking behind the wider counter-terrorist strategy.”

This event will be taking place in the Michael Berry Lecture Theatre, Old Sessions House, room OS.0.01.

There will be refreshments prior to the lecture, from 5.15pm.