Stephen Lander

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Person.png Stephen Lander   PowerbaseRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(Spook, Academic)
StephenLander.jpg
Born1947
NationalityBritish
Alma materBishop's Stortford College, Cambridge University/Queens' College
Member ofLe Cercle
Director General of MI5 1996-2002, Le Cercle member

Employment.png Chair of the Serious Organised Crime Agency

In office
1 April 2006 - July 2009
Succeeded byIan Andrews
Le Cercle

Employment.png [[|?]]

In office
2004 - 2007
EmployerStream-shield Networks

Employment.png Non-executive director

In office
2002 - 2005
EmployerHer Majesty's Revenue and Customs
Non executive director

Employment.png Director General of MI5

In office
1996 - October 2002
DeputyEliza Manningham-Buller
Preceded byStella Rimington
Succeeded byEliza Manningham-Buller
Le Cercle

Employment.png MI5/H Branch/Director

In office
1994 - 30 March 2006
EmployerMI5

Employment.png MI5/T Branch/Director

In office
February 1992 - 1994
EmployerMI5
MI5 took the lead role against the IRA from the Metropolitan Police on 1 October 1992.

Employment.png Head of T5

In office
1991
EmployerMI5
Preceded byStephen Lander
Succeeded byStephen Lander
This may have been a simple renaming from G5, after "terrorism" was moved to its own (T) section in 1990.

Employment.png Head of G5

In office
1990
EmployerMI5
Preceded byStephen Lander
Succeeded byStephen Lander

Employment.png Unknown Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
1985
EmployerMI5
Preceded byStephen Lander
Succeeded byStephen Lander
B2. Dates are unknown, but he had this job in Autumn 1985. He proposed ending the traditional practice of placing new MI5 officers in F2 Section to learn the basics of counter-subversion work. This was strongly opposed by Director F.

Employment.png Unknown Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
1981
EmployerMI5/F Section
Preceded byStephen Lander
Succeeded byStephen Lander
F5. Had this job in around 1981.
"?" contains an extrinsic dash or other characters that are invalid for a date interpretation.

Employment.png Unknown Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
1975 - ?
EmployerMI5

Dr. Stephen Lander is a fomer Director General of MI5 and Le Cercle member, who after leaving MI5 has held a range of other senior posts both in and out of government, including heading the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency and as "a paid director of a company that has IT contracts with every police force in the UK."[1]

Background

Lander was a pupil at Bishop's Stortford College (previously attended by MI5 officers including Peter Wright and Director-General Sir Dick White) and then Queens' College, Cambridge. He was awarded a Ph.D. for a thesis entitled The diocese of Chichester 1508-1558 : Episcopal reform under Robert Sherburne and its aftermath.

Career

He worked for three years at the Institute of Historical Research (part of the University of London) where he was assistant editor of the Victoria History of Cheshire, and serving as an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Liverpool. In 1975 he joined MI5.[2] At some point during the mid-1980s, Lander served under Stella Rimington, whom he praised as "far and away" the best assistant director, he ever had.[3] Lander worked for 25 years in MI5, rising to Director-General from 1996 to 2002.[4]

MI5 Director General

Lander was MI5 Director General on 9/11, when he briefed Tony Blair and took part in COBR meetings at Downing Street, in the immediate wake of the terrorist attacks in the United States.[5] Alastair Campbell and Cabinet Secretary Sir Richard Wilson were impressed by his performance.[6]

Home Secretary David Blunkett was less of an admirer, complaining that it was almost as if he "talks in riddles, which makes it very difficult to pin him down."[7]

In early 2002, Lander told staff that the government had provided additional funding but lower priority work would have to be reduced until recruitment could catch up.[8] He retired as MI5 Director-General in October 2002.[8]

Northgate Information Solutions

Northgate Information Solutions[9]

SOCA Chair

Lander was the first head of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, dubbed "Britain's FBI".

Security Industry

The Guardian reported in 2006 that Lander retained a number of directorships in the security industry following his SOCA appointment:

Sir Stephen Lander, the head of Britain's elite crime-busting squad, is a paid director of a company that has IT contracts with every police force in the UK. He is also on the board of a second firm whose parent company has IT contracts with other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Since taking up his post as chairman of the serious organised crime agency in September 2004, Sir Stephen, 58, has remained as a non-executive director of Northgate Information Solutions and StreamShield Networks, with a total remuneration of £60,000. As head of SOCA his starting salary was £75,000.[10]

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References

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/12/ukcrime.davidpallister
  2. The Security Service
  3. Christopher Andrew, Defence of the Realm, The Authorized History of MI5, Allen Lane, 2009, p.774.
  4. Press Association, Blunkett appoints former MI5 Chief, guardian.co.uk,13 August 2004.
  5. Christopher Andrew, Defence of the Realm, The Authorized History of MI5, Allen Lane, 2009, p.809.
  6. Christopher Andrew, Defence of the Realm, The Authorized History of MI5, Allen Lane, 2009, p.810.
  7. Christopher Andrew, Defence of the Realm, The Authorized History of MI5, Allen Lane, 2009, p.811.
  8. a b Christopher Andrew, Defence of the Realm, The Authorized History of MI5, Allen Lane, 2009, p.812.
  9. https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/12/329856.html?c=on
  10. David Pallister, Crime squad chief's links to IT firm are revealed, The Guardian, 12 June 2006.