13 Facts About Ken McCallum

Sir Kenneth Douglas McCallum was born on 1974 and is a British intelligence officer who has been serving as the Director General of MI5 since 2020.

Ken McCallum attended a state school, after which he studied mathematics at the University of Glasgow, graduating with a first-class honours degree in 1996.

Ken McCallum was appointed Deputy Director General of MI5 in April 2017.

In 2018, Ken McCallum took charge of the MI5 response to the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal.

In 2021, Ken McCallum said in his annual threat update that the activities of China, Russia, and other hostile states could have as large an impact on the public as terrorism, marking a significant shift in emphasis for the UK's domestic spy agency.

At a joint press conference with Christopher A Wray in July 2022, McCallum said that MI5 had "more than doubled" its effort against Chinese activity over the same timeframe as part of an unprecedented joint warning with his counterpart at the FBI.

Ken McCallum added the "most game-changing challenge" MI5 faced came from an "increasingly authoritarian Chinese Communist party".

In November 2022, Ken McCallum said there had been at least 10 potential threats by Iran to kidnap or kill British or UK-based people in 2022.

Ken McCallum warned that the UK "must be ready for Russian aggression for years to come".

Ken McCallum warned there was a risk that events in the Middle East could radicalise people towards violence.

Ken McCallum warned the UK faces the most "complex and interconnected" threat it has ever seen.

Ken McCallum added there had been 20 Iran-backed plots since 2022.

Ken McCallum was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2025 New Year Honours.