Ken McCallum


Kenneth "Ken" Douglas McCallum is a Scottish mathematician and civil servant, appointed as the 18th head of the United Kingdom's MI5 Security Service.

Early life and education

Born, raised and educated in Glasgow, McCallum attended a state school after which he read mathematics at Glasgow University graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in 1996.

Professional life

McCallum has been an Officer at MI5 for over two decades, including service focused on Northern Ireland-related terrorism and leading counter terrorism investigations during the London 2012 Olympic Games. He was appointed Deputy Director General of MI5 in April 2017.
In 2018, McCallum took charge of the MI5 response to the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal.
He succeeded Sir Andrew Parker as Director General designate of MI5 in April 2020.