Career
Omand was educated at Glasgow Academy and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He began his career with the Government Communications Headquarters, more commonly known as GCHQ. After working for the Ministry of Defence for a number of years, Oman was appointed director of GCHQ from 1996 to 1997. His next post was Permanent Secretary at the Home Office.
In the 2000 New Year Honours, Omand was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). In 2002 he became the first Permanent Secretary and Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator in the Cabinet Office. Omand was among those who decided that David Kelly should be pursued for talking to the media about the Government's dossier on Iraq's alleged WMD. Omand and Sir Kevin Tebbit, then permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence, recommended to Jack Straw and Tony Blair that John Scarlett head MI6.
In the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, Omand was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB). He retired from the Cabinet Office in April 2005. In January 2006, he was appointed to the board of the Natural History Museum, for a term of 4 years. He is also an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal United Services Institute.
On 20 January 2010, Omand gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry.
In 2009 he was asked by the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, to carry out a review into the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to "satisfy ministers" that the council is "discharging the functions" that it is supposed to.
Omand is currently a visiting professor at King's College London.
Read more about this topic: David Omand
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