Colin McColl

{{Short description|British intelligence officier}} {{for|the New Zealand director|Colin McColl (director)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Sir | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG}} | name = Colin McColl | image = | caption = | awards = KCMG | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1932|9|6|df=y}} | occupation = Intelligence officer, Diplomat | alma_mater = Queen's College, Oxford | signature = | office = Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service | order = 11th | successor = David Spedding | predecessor = Christopher Curwen | term_start = 1989 | term_end = 1994 }} '''Sir Colin Hugh Verel McColl,''' {{post-nominals|size=100%|KCMG}} (born 6 September 1932) was Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1989 to 1994.

==Career== Educated at Shrewsbury School and at The Queen's College, Oxford,<ref name=burkes>[http://www.burkespeerage.com/familyhomepage.aspx?FID=0&FN=MCCOLLCOLIN Burkes Peerage and Gentry]</ref> McColl joined the diplomatic service in 1950.<ref name=btac>[http://www.btac.us/pressrelease_mccoll.htm British Threat Awareness Council]</ref> He served in Laos, Vietnam, Warsaw and Geneva<ref name=btac/> before he was appointed Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1992-05-07 |title=The Secret's Out: Top British Spy Identified |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/07/world/the-secret-s-out-top-british-spy-identified.html |access-date=2025-06-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In retirement he was a Director of the Scottish American Investment Company.<ref>[http://www.bailliegifford.org/documents/60489_SAINTS_Annual_Report_1205.pdf Scottish American Investment Company Annual Report 2005]</ref>

In 1996 McColl was appointed an Honorary Fellow of The Queen's College, Oxford.<ref name=burkes/>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{S-gov}} {{succession box | before=Sir Christopher Curwen| title=Chief of the SIS | years=1989–1994| after=Sir David Spedding| }} {{s-end}} {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McColl, Colin}} Category:1932 births Category:Cold War spies Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford Category:Fellows of the Queen's College, Oxford Category:Post–Cold War spies Category:20th-century spies Category:Living people Category:People educated at Shrewsbury School Category:Chiefs of the Secret Intelligence Service