Joint Intelligence Committee Chair appointed: Madeleine Alessandri CMG
Madeleine Alessandri CMG has been appointed Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC)
The Cabinet Secretary, with the approval of the Prime Minister, has announced the appointment of Madeleine Alessandri CMG as the new Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and head of the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO). Madeleine will replace Simon Gass who is stepping down after four years in the role.
Madeleine is currently Permanent Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office and was previously the UK’s Deputy National Security Adviser and Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Resilience and Security. Madeleine brings a wealth of experience from these roles and her career in the Diplomatic Service and in National Security in the UK and overseas.
The Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, said:
I am extremely pleased that we have appointed Madeleine to this critically important role. Madeleine’s time as a Permanent Secretary and deep experience of working in national security will serve her well as the new Chair and make her very well placed to lead the JIO.
I should also like to thank Simon Gass for his dedication and service as JIC Chair over the last four years. I am very grateful to Simon for his leadership across the intelligence community during a particularly challenging period. His contribution to the national security of this country and our partners has been immense.
Commenting on her appointment, Madeleine Alessandri said:
It is a huge privilege to be joining the JIO team. I am delighted to have this opportunity to lead the UK’s world-class professional intelligence analysis community.
Simon has expertly steered the JIO through an extraordinary period of geopolitics and leaves the organisation in a very strong position. I look forward to building on this and working with the team to capture the opportunities ahead. I wish Simon all the best for the future.
Outgoing JIC Chair, Simon Gass said:
It has been a privilege to lead the Joint Intelligence Committee at a time when detached and thoughtful analysis has been vital for Britain’s national security in a complex and tempestuous world.
I pay tribute to analysts in the Joint Intelligence Organisation and across the government intelligence assessment community for their professionalism and ingenuity in using secret intelligence and other information sources to produce insights which have helped decision-makers navigate difficult policy choices. I am delighted that Madeleine has been appointed to continue the journey.
Madeleine will take up her new post on 1 July. Plans are being made to run a competition to identify her successor at NIO and an announcement will be made in due course.
Notes for Editors
Madeleine Alessandri is currently Permanent Secretary to the Northern Ireland Office. A competition to identify her successor will be launched shortly.
Madeleine Alessandri has served as Permanent Secretary to the Northern Ireland Office since January 2020. Previously she was the UK Deputy National Security Advisor and Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Resilience and Security. She joined government service in 1988 and has held a wide variety of positions in the Diplomatic Service and in National Security in the UK and overseas.
The role
The Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) is responsible to the Prime Minister for supervising the work of the JIC. The post-holder also leads the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) and is adviser to the Prime Minister on intelligence.
The Joint Intelligence Committee
The JIC is a cross-government committee based in the Cabinet Office. It supports the Prime Minister and National Security Council as well as working closely with the National Security Secretariat. It is responsible for providing Ministers and senior officials with intelligence assessments on a range of issues of immediate and long-term importance to national interests, primarily about security, defence and foreign affairs.
The Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee reports to the Cabinet Secretary.
The Joint Intelligence Organisation
The JIC is supported by the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), which consists of a range of analytical staff seconded from various departments, services and disciplines. The JIO sits at the heart of the UK’s assessment community. It is responsible for drafting all-source assessments of strategic issues and issues of current concern, and providing warnings of threats to British interests.