- Sir Alex Younger, former MI6 chief, died at age 62 after leading from 2014 to 2020
- He managed MI6 through key events like Brexit, the rise of the Islamic State, and Russia tensions
- After MI6, he was knighted in 2019 and worked as an adviser for Goldman Sachs until his death
Sir Alex Younger, the former head of Britain's foreign intelligence agency MI6 and one of the country's longest-serving spy chiefs in recent decades, has died at the age of 62.
Younger led MI6 between 2014 and 2020, a period marked by major security challenges ranging from the rise of the Islamic State group to growing tensions with Russia and Britain's departure from the European Union. His term was extended by a year in 2019 to ensure continuity during the Brexit process.
Known within the intelligence community by the title "C", Younger was the public face of MI6, the only British intelligence chief whose identity is officially disclosed.
From Army Officer To Britain's Top Spy
Born on July 4, 1963, Younger studied economics and computer science at the University of St Andrews before joining the British Army. He served with the elite Scots Guards and reached the rank of captain before leaving military service.
His move into intelligence came unexpectedly.
Speaking in a public discussion in 2019, Younger recalled receiving the famous "tap on the shoulder" invitation to join MI6.
"My boss at the time John Sawers suggested to me that I might be his successor amongst others, but he said I was in the frame. That was an extraordinary moment. It had never occurred to me that that was a path I might follow... I never saw myself as a senior leader and it completely changed my attitude," Younger explained in a conversation organised by the Chancellor of his alma mater a few years ago.
After joining MI6 in 1991, at the end of the Cold War, he served in several overseas postings and later became the agency's senior officer in Afghanistan. One story from that period that became particularly well-known was to build a closer relationship with then Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Younger arranged for homemade blackberry jam prepared by his mother-in-law to be sent to him after learning Karzai enjoyed it in his tea.
Leading MI6 Through Crisis
Before becoming chief, Younger oversaw counter-terrorism operations in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics. He later rose to supervise intelligence operations worldwide before taking charge of MI6 in 2014.
His years as chief coincided with some of Britain's most difficult security challenges. These included the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, in which 22 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured, and the 2018 Novichok poisonings in Salisbury.
Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia survived the poisoning attack. Novichok was applied to the doorknob to Skripal's home entrance.
However, Dawn Sturgess died after coming into contact with the nerve agent in 2018. She died after she sprayed perfume on herself. The bottle that was picked up by her husband from a charity collection bin contained the nerve agent.
Russia's increasingly assertive actions also became a major focus of British intelligence during Younger's tenure.
At the same time, he sought to make MI6 more open about its role. While the agency had long captured the public imagination through fictional spies such as James Bond, the British government only officially acknowledged the existence of the intelligence services in 1994.
In a 2017 letter to The Economist, Younger offered a rare public explanation of how intelligence agencies operate.
"We do things in defence of national security that would not be justified in pursuit of private interest. But only when they are judged by ministers to be necessary and proportionate. We break the rules, certainly; we do not break the law," he wrote.
Life After MI6
Younger was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 and stepped down as MI6 chief the following year.
After leaving public service, he joined Goldman Sachs as an adviser.
His death marks the end of a career that spanned nearly three decades in British intelligence and placed him at the centre of some of the defining security challenges of the 21st century.
