Sir Jeremy Fleming KCMG CB

Doctor of Laws

Wednesday 8 July 2026 - Orator: Jack Boyer

Vice-Chancellor,

It’s 1988 and a young graduate from the University of Bristol is embarking on his new career. He has secured his first job at one of the leading accountancy firms in the City of London – a natural role for someone who has just completed a degree in Economics and Social History. He is 21 and everything lies before him.

Little could he imagine that becoming a chartered accountant would lead him in a rather unexpected direction – to a life of public service, to protecting his country from its greatest threats, and to becoming one of Britain’s most distinguished intelligence chiefs.

This young man was named Jeremy and, Vice-Chancellor, his career is intertwined with some of the most historic moments in British society over recent decades.

Having established himself as a trusted pair of hands at Deloitte, and an expert in the financial sector, Jeremy was seconded to MI5 in 1993. His task was to bring greater transparency to its finances for parliamentary scrutiny. But he quickly proved himself to be more than a numbers man, gaining extensive experience across its range of operations and going on to lead critical operations to keep Britain safe from national and global threats.

In 2005, he played a key role in shaping MI5’s response to the 7/7 London bombings – the deadliest act of terrorism on British soil in nearly two decades – and led the subsequent revision of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. He was promoted to Assistant Director General in 2011 and led security preparations for one of the highest profile cultural and sporting events to have ever visited the nation’s capital: the London 2012 Olympics.

In 2017, his ability to lead under pressure and steadfastly serve without seeking the limelight was rewarded with his appointment as Director of the UK’s Intelligence Agency, GCHQ. Over the following six years, he navigated the country through historic changes – from the evolving dominance in technology and cyber risk to shifts in geopolitical power, emerging conflicts and the first global pandemic in a generation.

Jeremy oversaw the creation of the National Cyber Security Centre as a direct response to emerging digital threats and with a quiet, determined mission to ensure the UK continued to be a safe place to live and do business online. He was at the helm during the cyber-attacks on NHS computer systems, the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, and the emergence of the war in Ukraine. He advised four Prime Ministers, the National Security Council and the Joint Intelligence Committee. We’ll likely never know about many of the other crises he helped to avert during this time.

Even one of these moments would define the career of most people. To address all of them as the head of national security takes rare skill, ingenuity, vision and dedication – all qualities that continue to have impact through the organisation today.

In fact, Jeremy’s deep influence is demonstrated not only in the ways in which he contributed to keeping Britain and its people safe. It’s in the agency’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through his advocacy for dyslexic and neurodiverse colleagues. It’s also in the strategic growth and strength of GCHQ gained by the development of its Manchester base – another inspired initiative he undertook during his tenure.

He stepped down from GCHQ in 2023 and now serves as an expert speaker on cybersecurity, national resilience and geopolitics and is a trusted advisor to global businesses on these themes.

For 30 years, Jeremy Fleming played a vital part in building and sustaining the UK’s national security. He has thus been recognised with many honours, including being made a Companion of the Order of Bath in the 2017 New Year Honours List for services to defence, and later appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to national security. 

From an economics lecture hall here in Bristol to the heart of Britain's most secretive agency, Sir Jeremy Fleming's career is an inspiring story of service. He is also a reminder to everyone gathered here today that the most consequential careers are made possible through curiosity and courage.

Vice-Chancellor, I present to you Sir Jeremy Ian Fleming as eminently worthy of the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.