Professor Sue Black OBE

Earlier this month, I visited one of the prettiest & most welcoming #Oxford colleges @MansfieldOxford to speak about my award-winning book Her Secret Service: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence @wnbooks Every seat was taken in the Sir Joseph Hotung Auditorium, as the audience waited patiently to see who the mystery 'special guest' advertised as appearing alongside me was. It was the BIGGEST honour to share the stage with the Director of @GCHQ, Anne Keast-Butler, who made history as the first woman to lead Britain's intelligence, security and cyber agency in 2023. Expertly chaired by the college's impressive Principal, Helen Mountfield KC, Anne and I discussed the main themes in my book, and explored the significance for women in intelligence, past and present. This public event was a major milestone in my journey as an author and in my mission to write women into the history of secret intelligence. Another pinch me moment!🙏 Photograph: (L-R) Anne Keast-Butler (Director of GCHQ), Helen Mountfield KC (Principal of Mansfield College), and Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall.