Dame Stella Rimington DCB
Dame Stella was formerly Director General of the Security Service (MI5). She is invited to speak at a wide range of events. Her audiences include major corporate clients, business professionals, public and private sectors, trades associations and schools. Her straightforward approach and friendly manner are combined with an informed and intelligent view. She tailors her speech and is happy to take questions.
In 2011 she chaired the Judging Panel for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
Dame Stella was born in 1935 and educated at Nottingham High School for Girls and Edinburgh University. After gaining a postgraduate diploma in the Study of Records and the Administration of Archives at Liverpool University, she worked in the Worcester County Record Office and the India Office Library, London. In 1965 she accompanied her husband on a posting to the British High Commission in New Delhi. While in India, she worked part-time for the Security Service, which at that time had an office in New Delhi.
Returning to the UK in 1969, she joined the Security Service as a full-time employee. She worked in all the main fields of the Service’s responsibilities – counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism – becoming successively Director of all three branches. She was appointed Director General of MI5 in 1992, the first woman to take the post and the first Director General to be publicly named. She retired in April 1996.
Stella Rimington was made a Dame Commander of the Bath in the 1996 New Year Honours List. Dame Stella has received honorary degrees from Nottingham and Exeter Universities. Edinburgh University elected her Alumna of the Year in 1994.
She was Non-Executive Director of Marks & Spencer Plc and BG Group Plc and an Associate Director of CPS, where she does executive coaching and mentoring. She was previously Chairman of the Institute of Cancer Research and Trustee of the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust.
Until 2001, Dame Stella was Honorary Air Commodore of 7006 (VR) Intelligence Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force and a Trustee of the RAF Museum. She is a Governor of Town Close House Preparatory School in Norwich. She has two daughters and four grandchildren.
Books by Dame Stella Rimington:
Open Secret – her autobiography (2001): At Risk (2004): Secret Asset (2006): Illegal Action (2007):
Dead Line (2008): Present Danger (2009) and Rip Tide – July 2011
What people say about Dame Stella:
“I was very impressed with Dame Stella’s speech – it was well delivered, well argued and stimulating”.
“I thought Dame Stella answered questions unexpectedly openly and straightforwardly, given a career in an institution which reminds each employee every day not to assume things are ever as they might appear to be”.
The comments above are from guests who attended a dinner for top clients, hosted by Ernst & Young.
“I write to express my thanks and gratitude to you for delivering an excellent inspirational speech at our Conference last week. Feedback from the delegates shows that it was one of the highlights of the two-day conference with comments such as “entertaining”, “fascinating”, extremely enjoyable” and “highlight of the conference for me”. Please accept our thanks for your contribution to our very successful Staff Conference”.
Head of Financial Services, The Rent Service
“Please could you pass on our sincere thanks to Dame Stella. We asked all delegates to complete a feedback sheet to rate the event. Dame Stella was rated as “excellent” by over 97% of the delegates – the other 3% rated her as good”. This is the highest-ever rating for a speaker, not just in the UK, but all over the world, which is amazing. My biggest problem now is what to do next year ….”
Julie Morrish, Marketing Manager, Telelogic
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