Veteran spy Vanessa Lloyd named interim boss of Canadian intelligence service

Veteran intelligence serviceman Vanessa Lloyd has been named interim head of nan Canadian Security Intelligence Service for six months aliases until a caller head of CSIS is appointed.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced her assignment Friday, praising nan CSIS veteran.

“Ms. Lloyd has demonstrated a singular committedness to protecting Canada, Canadians and our interests complete her 26-year profession astatine nan Canadian Security Intelligence Service,” Leblanc said successful his announcement.

“Building connected her extended experience, arsenic good arsenic nan tireless activity of nan outgoing Director (David Vigneault), I person each assurance that she has what it takes to steer nan activity of this pivotal statement complete nan people of her term,” LeBlanc added.

Lloyd has led efforts to summation operational capacity astatine CSIS and beforehand what LeBlanc’s announcement called “a civilization of innovation, candour and compliance wrong nan organization’s operational directorate.”

She came retired of nan shadows past twelvemonth and appeared successful a photograph station by CSIS connected X (formerly Twitter).

In it, she was quoted arsenic saying: “Hostile authorities actors person go progressively belligerent and emboldened to beforehand their agendas successful some nan beingness and cyber realms successful immoderate measurement necessary, while seeking to situation those who situation their narrative.”

Lloyd joined CSIS successful 1998 arsenic an intelligence officer.

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Since then, she has steadily climbed nan ranks of Canada’s civilian spy agency into guidance roles.

She has been Deputy Director of Operations astatine CSIS since nan outpouring of 2023, nan number 2 job.

In that role, she was nan leader of nan spy agency’s quality intelligence postulation and analysis, information screening and threat simplification efforts.

Originally from Winnipeg, Lloyd grew up successful Kingston, Ont., and has antecedently served arsenic nan spy agency’s main translator officer.

After starting her profession astatine CSIS office successful Ottawa, Lloyd went connected to activity for 8 years arsenic a section investigator, supervisor and elder head successful CSIS’s Toronto Region.

She has besides worked successful nan counterintelligence and counterproliferation sectors and has worked arsenic a head wide of nan agency’s quality intelligence postulation and information program.