Former MI5 Chief, Dame Stella Rimington, Dies at 90 | JQJO

Dame Stella Rimington, MI5's first female director general, passed away at 90. Her family announced her peaceful death surrounded by loved ones. Sir Ken McCallum, the current MI5 director general, praised her as a trailblazer who fostered transparency and diversity. Dame Stella, who served from 1992-1996, led MI5 through significant transformations, including a shift toward greater public openness and managing the threat of Irish republican terrorism. Her career spanned the Cold War and beyond, and she later became a successful author of spy novels.