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The Commonwealth government has announced the appointment of a new head of the intelligence agency.
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Kerri Hartland has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), effective on 20 February 2023.
Hartland served as Deputy Director-General of ASIO from 2011 to 2017 before assuming a consultancy role for the national intelligence community.
Her consultancy experience included serving as chair of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Office of the Special Investigator Audit and Risk Committees; special advisor to Fintel Alliance; and as a member of the National Security College Futures Council.
The incoming Director-General of ASIS also served as Secretary of the Department of Employment, Small and Family Business from 2017 to 2020, and as Deputy Secretary of Human Services from 2006 to 2011.
Hartland replaces Director-General Paul Symon AO, who has served in the role for over five years.
“…Symon’s career has been one of service to Australia. He has contributed with distinction in senior Defence and intelligence roles both domestically and internationally,” the Albanese government noted in a statement.
New appointee Hartland welcomed the opportunity to lead ASIS.
“I am incredibly honoured to be appointed as the 13th Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service,” she said.
“With an increasingly complex geostrategic landscape, intelligence will continue to be critical to securing Australia’s safety, prosperity, and sovereignty.
“To lead an organisation that so significantly contributes to Australia’s national security is a true privilege.”
[Related: NATO appoints new 2IC for allied forces]
