Stella Rimington, the first female director general of Britain’s MI5 security and counter-intelligence service who ushered in an era of greater transparency at the agency, has died aged 90.
Rimington, who ran the domestic security agency between 1992 and 1996, was its first head to be publicly named and later wrote a memoir “Open Secret” about her career at the formerly secretive organisation.
She went on to write a series of espionage novels and is also widely thought to have inspired actor Judy Dench’s tough but playful characterisation of the fictional spymaster ‘M’ in several James Bond movies.
Rimington was given one of the British state’s highest honours when she was made a dame in 1996.
She joined MI5 in 1969 and worked in roles including counter-subversion and counter-terrorism.
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