Lindy Cameron
Lindy Cameron is a British civil servant who is chief executive officer at the National Cyber Security Centre. She was previously Director-General responsible for the Department for International Development’s programmes in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. She was awarded an Order of the Bath in the 2020 Birthday Honours for her services to international development. Early life and education. Cameron was born in Belfast. Her father was a founding member of the Corrymeela Community Peace and Reconciliation Centre. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, where she studied modern history. She graduated  from Balliol College in 1991, before starting a course in international relations at Tufts University as a Fulbright scholar. After graduating, Cameron joined McKinsey & Company, where she worked as a management consultant until 1998. Research and career. In 1998, Cameron joined the Department for International Development (DFID). She served as head of both the DFID Country Offices in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire for her services to Iraq in 2004. Cameron was seconded to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom in 2007, where she worked on Trader and Development in Africa. She moved  to the Foreign Office to lead the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team. After completing a year long programme at the Royal College of Defence Studies, Cameron returned to DFID in 2011, where she was appointed director of the Middle East. She spent two years in this role before being promoted to director general, overseeing a £4 billion budget. National Cyber Security Centre. Cameron was appointed chief executive officer of the National Cyber Security Centre in 2020, becoming the second person to hold such a position at the NCSC. She succeeded the founding CEO, Ciaran Martin, who had stayed on in  the job because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Martin was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 2020 Birthday Honours for his services to cyber security and Cameron received the same honour for her services to international development. In March 2021 during Cameron's inaugural address as CEO, she warned of the UK's need to "be clear-eyed about Chinese ambition in technological advancement", citing China's "hostile activity in cyberspace". In June 2021 she spoke at the Royal United Services Institute. Cameron said that ransomware attacks were the major threat to United Kingdom cyber security . She noted that it is possible to obtain ransomware as a service (RaaS) for either a flat fee or for a share of the profits.