A black MI6 agent became one of the first “spies” to be interviewed about their job this weekend, in a bid to increase the ethnic diversity of applicants to MI6.
The police officer, who gave his name as Kwame, was interviewed on Radio 1Xtra on Sunday, March 3. Today (March 4th), a colleague from Asia will be interviewed on Radio 5 Live.
MI6, also known as the secret intelligence agency, strictly controls the identities of its staff, with only its director, Sir Richard Moore, publicly known.
Mr Kwame, head of organizational development at MI6, argued that the common portrayal of MI6 staff as white, middle-class, male or ‘James Bond’ types was untrue.
He described his role in MI6 as “more exciting than James Bond” and told Radio 1Xtra that he saw “some of the coolest stuff”. The service is tasked with gathering intelligence from overseas to promote the UK’s security from hostile states, terrorism and cyber-attacks.
Staff numbers show that only around 9% of MI6 staff are from ethnic minorities, compared to 15% for the civil service as a whole.
Kwame added: “I think people would think that everyone who works here is just a bunch of white, middle-class guys who drive Aston Martins and like women and stuff. But that’s not the case.
“You see that’s not necessarily true about me. We want to reach out to all our brothers and sisters around the world and actually say, SIS, MI6, this is the place for you. ”
He also revealed that the agency’s technical director and his deputy are women.
The full interview will also be featured in the podcast Inside MI6 with Nihal Arthanayake, available on BBC Sounds.
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