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Arise Sir David... |
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The Director of GCHQ has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours. Dr David Pepper, Director of GCHQ, has received a knighthood (KCMG - Order of St Michael and St George) in the Queen's birthday honours list which was released today. He was delighted to be awarded the honour and stressed that it should be seen as a recognition of the "men and women of GCHQ whose hard work and dedication makes a vital contribution to the security of the UK." David's two years as the Director of GCHQ have seen a successful staff move from over 50 ageing buildings into a new state-of-the-art headquarters in Cheltenham, without any break in service to Whitehall customers, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. The organisation has continued to produce world-class intelligence and information assurance, which has been essential in helping combat threats such as terrorism, cybercrime, and narcotics, and in supporting British forces in the field." David joined GCHQ in 1972, after attaining a DPhil in Theoretical Physics at St John's College Oxford, and spent most of his early career in intelligence operations. He joined GCHQ's board in 1995 as Director of Personnel, transferring to the Home Office three years later to lead their Corporate Development Directorate. During his two and a half years in London he was responsible for corporate change management, IT services and accommodation, gaining practical experience of delivering large PFI projects. Returning to Cheltenham in the middle of 2000, David rejoined the board as Director of Finance. He is married with two sons and his leisure interests include music, reading, walking and cooking. 11 June 2005 |
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