Ms Anne Keast-Butler appointed as Honorary Fellow

Merton is pleased to announce that Ms Anne Keast-Butler has been appointed as an Honorary Fellow.

Ms Keast-Butler studied Maths at Merton and matriculated in 1988.

Ms Keast-Butler is now the Director of GCHQ, the UK’s Intelligence, Cyber and Security Agency. She was appointed in 2023 and is the 17th person to hold the role.

Ms Keast-Butler commented on her Honourary Fellowship:

'I was thrilled to receive this Honorary Fellowship – I’m so thankful to all who supported me in my time at Merton College. Now as Director of GCHQ I get to see how the sorts of mathematical theory I studied at Merton can be applied to some of the most challenging problems we face in keeping the country safe. And I have a platform to champion the uptake in these technical degrees – especially in women – which I don’t take lightly.'

Prior to her current appointment, Ms Keast-Butler was Deputy Director General MI5. She was the Director General for all operational, investigative, and protective security work. This has included MI5’s – and allies’ - preparation for, and response to, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Immediately prior to this role, Ms Keast-Butler was Director General Strategy, with responsibility for all the enabling functions that support MI5’s operational activities.

Prior to this, Ms Keast-Butler spent two years on secondment to GCHQ as Head of Counter Terrorism and Serious Organised Crime and has also spent part of the last decade on secondment in Whitehall. Whilst there, she helped to launch the National Cyber Security Programme.

During her thirty years in the national security field, Anne has held several key operational roles in MI5 and is a passionate advocate of diversity, flexible working and nurturing talent.