Simone Smit will become the first female director-general of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), the Netherlands’ domestic intelligence and security agency. The Council of Ministers approved her appointment following a proposal from Minister Rijkaart of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, marking a new chapter in the intelligence agency history.
The AIVD is responsible for protecting national security. It monitors threats including terrorism, espionage, cyberattacks on vital infrastructure, foreign interference, and extremist ideologies.
“The AIVD is more than a workplace; it is a community with a mission that aligns with my values: the safety of the Netherlands so that we can live in freedom. I want to strengthen our partnerships – nationally, privately, and internationally. No day is the same, and no decision is taken lightly. I am proud to carry this responsibility,” Smit said.
Smit has been deputy director-general since February 2021. She previously led counterterrorism operations and coordinated the acute COVID-19 response at the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism. She began her career in the Rotterdam police, holding leadership roles for 19 years. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam and attended the Police Academy.
Simone Smit’s appointment as the new head of the AIVD is a landmark event that reflects a global trend of increasing numbers of women assuming leadership positions in intelligence. This precedent highlights the push for greater diversity within the national security institutions.