The Home Secretary, with the agreement of the Prime Minister, has today appointed Jonathan Evans, currently the Deputy Director General of the Security Service, to be Director General of the Service in succession to Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller. The appointment will take effect from 8 April 2007.

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Jonathan Evans graduated from Bristol University, where he gained a degree in Classical Studies. On joining the Security Service in 1980 he worked on counter-espionage investigations, before moving in 1985 to protective security policy, advising departmental security officers on the protection of classified information. Jonathan then worked on implementing policy changes as part of Sir Anthony Duff's modernisation of the Service.

Since then, Jonathan's main focus has been counter terrorism, both international and domestic. Various postings in Irish-related counter terrorism during the late 1980s and 1990s were interspersed with a spell as head of the Security Service's secretariat, and also two years attached to the Home Office. During this secondment, Jonathan was closely involved in the development and implementation of VIP security policy.

From 1999 onwards, Jonathan has been directly involved in countering the threat from international terrorism. In 2001 he was appointed to the Security Service's Management Board as Director of international counter terrorism - ten days before the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. He became Deputy Director General to Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller in 2005 and will succeed her as Director General in April 2007.

Jonathan has a Certificate in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors and is 49 years old.