# Iain Lobban

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**Sir Iain Robert Lobban** [KCMG](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) [CB](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) (born 1960) is a former British [civil servant](/source/Civil_servant). He was the Director of the [Government Communications Headquarters](/source/Government_Communications_Headquarters) (GCHQ), the British [signals intelligence](/source/Signals_intelligence) agency, from 2008 to 2014.

## Education and career

Born in Nigeria, Lobban graduated from the [University of Leeds](/source/University_of_Leeds) with a [Bachelor of Arts](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) in languages.[1][2] He joined GCHQ in 1983 and undertook a variety of roles before joining the GCHQ Board in 2001.[2] He was a participant of the Cabinet Office's Top Management Programme that year. He has also completed the [Higher Command and Staff Course](/source/Higher_Command_and_Staff_Course) at the [Ministry of Defence's](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)) staff college at [Shrivenham](/source/Shrivenham).[3] Whilst on the Board he was responsible for moving the operations of GCHQ into its new base at [The Doughnut](/source/The_Doughnut) at [Benhall, Gloucestershire](/source/Benhall%2C_Cheltenham). Before being appointed Director, Lobban was Director-General (Operations); having taken up this post in early 2004. He became the [Director of GCHQ](/source/Director_of_the_Government_Communications_Headquarters) in July 2008, succeeding [Sir David Pepper](/source/David_Pepper_(intelligence_official)).[2]

Lobban spoke of his regret over the treatment of cryptographer [Alan Turing](/source/Alan_Turing) in October 2012.[4] Turing, who committed suicide after being convicted of homosexuality, was described by Lobban as a "national asset" and said that more people like Turing were needed to face contemporary information security threats.[4]

In November 2013 in the wake of the [global surveillance disclosures](/source/Global_surveillance_disclosures_(2013%E2%80%93present)) by the former American [National Security Agency](/source/National_Security_Agency) (NSA) contractor [Edward Snowden](/source/Edward_Snowden), Lobban and the other heads of the British intelligence agencies, [Andrew Parker](/source/Andrew_Parker%2C_Baron_Parker_of_Minsmere) of [MI5](/source/MI5), and [John Sawers](/source/John_Sawers) of [MI6](/source/Secret_Intelligence_Service) appeared before the [Joint Intelligence Committee](/source/Joint_Intelligence_Committee_(United_Kingdom)).[3] During his questioning by the committee Lobban said that "I do not look at the surrounding hay" referring to the [metadata](/source/Metadata) collected by GCHQ.[3] Lobban said that the disclosures had been discussed by terrorist groups in the Middle East and Afghanistan.[3] The effect of Snowden's revelations would make GCHQ's task "...far, far harder in the future".[3] Snowden's extensive disclosures revealed details of GCHQ's recent activities and capabilities, including the [Tempora](/source/Tempora) [electronic surveillance](/source/Electronic_surveillance) program, GCHQ's tapping of international [fiber-optic communications](/source/Fiber-optic_communications), and the NSA's payment to GCHQ over £100 Million between 2009 and 2012.[5]

It was announced in January 2014 that Lobban would stand down as GCHQ director before the end of the year.[1] Lobban's American equivalents, the head of the [National Security Agency](/source/National_Security_Agency), General [Keith B. Alexander](/source/Keith_B._Alexander), and his deputy, [John C. Inglis](/source/John_C._Inglis), also stood down from their posts in 2014.[1] He formally retired on 24 October 2014.[6]

After retiring from the government, Lobban went on to advise the Australian government before joining the advisory board of private security firm the Holdingham Group, which is now known as [Hakluyt & Company](/source/Hakluyt_%26_Company).[7]

Lobban was appointed [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) (CB) in the [2006 New Year Honours](/source/2006_New_Year_Honours) for services to national security[8] and [Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) (KCMG) in the [2013 New Year Honours](/source/2013_New_Year_Honours) for services to national security.[9]

Lobban is a supporter of [Everton F. C.](/source/Everton_F._C.), and counts cricket, photography, travel and bird watching among his hobbies.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GuardJan14_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GuardJan14_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-GuardJan14_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-GuardJan14_1-3) Ewen MacAskill (28 January 2014). ["GCHQ head Sir Iain Lobban stands down"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/28/gchq-head-sir-iain-lobban-stands-down). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 28 January 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WarwickLob_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WarwickLob_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-WarwickLob_2-2) Richard J. Aldrich (June 2008). ["Iain Lobban becomes Director of GCHQ"](http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/people/aldrich/vigilant/lectures/gchq/lobban/). [University of Warwick](/source/University_of_Warwick). Retrieved 27 January 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GuardNov13_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GuardNov13_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-GuardNov13_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-GuardNov13_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-GuardNov13_3-4) Paul Owen (7 November 2013). ["Spy agency chiefs defend surveillance – as it happened"](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/07/heads-of-gchq-mi5-and-mi6-appear-before-intelligence-committee-live). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 28 January 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GuardOct12_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GuardOct12_4-1) Nick Hopkins and Richard Norton-Taylor (4 October 2012). ["GCHQ chief expresses regret at treatment of Alan Turing"](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/oct/04/alan-turing-uk-cybercrime). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 28 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GCHQpay_5-0)** James Ball, Luke Harding and Juliette Garside (1 August 2013). ["Exclusive: NSA pays £100m in secret funding for GCHQ"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/01/nsa-paid-gchq-spying-edward-snowden). Retrieved 2 August 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Outgoing GCHQ boss defends agency activities after Snowden revelations"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/21/gchq-outgoing-director-sir-iain-lobban-edward-snowden-revelations). *The Guardian*. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Resources - Influence - Person - 3185 - Iain Lobban"](https://www.caat.org.uk/resources/influence/person/3185/meetings). CAAT. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080925155623/http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=57855&geotype=London&gpn=2&type=). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. [The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette). 31 December 2005. Archived from [the original](http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=57855&geotype=London&gpn=2&type=) on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["No. 60367"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/60367/supplement/3). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 3.

## External links

- [Lobban's valedictory speech to GCHQ staff](https://www.gchq.gov.uk/speech/sir-iain-lobbans-valedictory-speech-delivered) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20161014061226/https://www.gchq.gov.uk/speech/sir-iain-lobbans-valedictory-speech-delivered) 14 October 2016 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

Government offices Preceded by Sir David Pepper Director of GCHQ 2008–2014 Succeeded by Robert Hannigan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Iain Lobban](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Lobban) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Lobban?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.