Eliza Manningham-Buller is a British intelligence officer, best known for serving as Director General of MI5.
Eliza Manningham-Buller served as the head of Britain’s Security Service (MI5) from 2002 to 2007 and later as Chair of the Wellcome Trust, one of the world’s largest charitable funders of medical research and initiatives to improve human health, from 2015 to 2021. Across both roles, she led through extraordinary and high-pressure periods, spanning counterterrorism operations and global health crises.
Reflecting on two decades of leadership across vastly different organisations, Eliza highlights the shared challenges of managing uncertainty and safeguarding millions of lives. She emphasises the need for leaders to adapt to evolving stakeholder expectations and respond to new, often unforeseen challenges. From addressing existential threats such as climate change and pandemics to advancing diversity and fairness, she argues that leaders must navigate a complex and constantly shifting landscape that affects both organisational success and wider societal wellbeing.
In her presentations, Eliza shares leadership insights drawn from her extensive career, stressing the importance of honesty, openness to criticism and clear communication. She encourages leaders to be authentic, take responsibility for their teams, and recognise the powerful impact of praise, which can be delivered in moments yet have lasting effect. She also highlights the value of humour, even in the most demanding circumstances.
Keynote Topics:
- How Leaders Behave and Manage Change and Risk Under Pressure
- Building an Accountable, Supportive Culture
- Values-Driven Leadership
- And more…
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Keynote Topics:
- How Leaders Behave and Manage Change and Risk Under Pressure
- Dealing With a Crisis
- Leading Towards Goals Whilst Under Scrutiny
- Building an Accountable, Supportive Culture
- Values-Driven Leadership
More About Eliza Manningham-Buller
During her time at MI5, Eliza guided the organisation through significant change, expansion and intense public scrutiny, particularly in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 7/7 London bombings. Prior to becoming Director General, she held a wide range of senior roles, including postings in Washington during the first Gulf War, and responsibilities covering Irish terrorism, surveillance, technical collection, finance and IT. She later became Deputy Director General, overseeing intelligence operations.
As Chair of the Wellcome Trust, Eliza led the UK’s largest charity, overseeing major investments in scientific research areas such as infectious disease and mental health, while also responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. Anticipating the risk of a global pandemic, the Trust played a key role in establishing the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
Eliza is a crossbench peer, Co-President of the leading foreign policy think-tank Chatham House, and served as Chair of Council at Imperial College London for four years. She has delivered the prestigious BBC Reith Lectures, with her analysis on the theme Securing Freedom also forming the basis of her book of the same title.
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