Working for MI6 could be more exciting than a James Bond film, says an executive at the agency.
The first black MI6 spy to be interviewed – known only as Kwame – told the BBC that the things he has seen will ‘blow your mind’.
It comes as MI6 this week launched a major drive to recruit more black and Asian spies with an interview with an Asian director set to air around lunchtime today.
MI6 is the British foreign intelligence service tasked with collecting information from other countries with the core objectives of stopping terrorism, disrupting the activities of hostile states and strengthening cyber security.
Kwame described his role at the agency as director of organizational development, which is effectively the head of finance and HR.
Kwame said working at MI6 can be more exciting than James Bond films
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence Section 6)
The interview was given as part of an MI6 drive to recruit more employees from ethnic minority groups
He told the BBC that he has seen things “much more than what you see in spy films.”
‘It’s more exciting than James Bond. I’ve seen some of the coolest things. Things that will surprise you.
‘You have to be in it to see it. The problem is that when you talk about James Bond you get a different connotation,” he said.
Kwame added that it is ‘not true’ that everyone who works at MI6 is a ‘white, middle-class man’.
‘I’m afraid that might make you think that everyone who works here is a middle-class white man who drives an Aston Martin, who likes women and all that. But that is not true.
“You see that’s not necessarily true for me. We want to reach out to all the brothers and sisters out there and say: SIS, MI6, it’s a place for you.’
He said working for the agency is well paid, but added that he works there because of the impact he can have.
“Ultimately our mission is about protecting Britain (and) protecting the people of Britain,” Kwame said.
The groundbreaking interview comes as MI6 acknowledged for the first time that it employs ethnic minority staff at such a high level.
It is the first time in MI6’s history that two of its black and Asian directors have given interviews on BBC radio
They report to chief Sir Richard Moore, known as C, and his three directors general, all of whom are women.
The recruitment campaign started last night at 9pm on Radio 1Xtra when Kwame gave his interview.
Today the interview with another director, Jay, of Indian origin, will be broadcast on the Nihal Arthanayake show on Radio 5 Live from 1 p.m.
Jay will say that MI6’s commitment to following British laws means the company operates ‘with one hand tied behind its back’.
He said: ‘I think we play by different rules. We have a different set of values.
‘But the answer is not to lower our standards and act the way they do.
“But that doesn’t mean we aren’t incredibly effective at understanding and responding to the threats they can pose.”
Intelligence sources said black and Asian spies were needed to help MI6 fight international terrorism and gather intelligence on enemy states such as Russia and Iran.
Just under nine percent of MI6 staff are from an ethnic minority, compared to the average of 15 percent for Whitehall departments, and their average salary is 13.2 percent lower than that of white colleagues.
The BBC interviews are likely to dispel popular myths about MI6, such as 007 James Bond’s ‘license to kill’ power.
Another misconception is the ‘pat on the back’ at an Oxbridge university as a way to recruit agents.
All applications for spies, known as intelligence officers, are usually made through the website, with starting salaries ranging from £39,709 to £50,160.
Last month, MI6, MI5 and GCHQ published reports on the pay gap, which showed that ethnic minorities and women received significantly less pay and bonuses than white male counterparts.
Statistics show that 38 percent of MI6 staff are women, but men are paid 12.9 percent more on average.
Sir Richard said the pay figures were ‘disappointing’, but added that MI6 was committed to increasing its ethnic minority workforce as part of its ‘People Strategy’.
