Suzanne Raine
British diplomat, national security expert and Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge
| Suzanne Raine | |
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| Born | August 1970 Germany |
| Died | |
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| Occupation | Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge |
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| Parents | |
| Spouse(s) | John Raine OBE |
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| Education | Peterhouse, University of Cambridge (BA History; MA History) |
| Predecessor | Roger Mosey |
| Website | |
Suzanne Elizabeth Raine MBE (born August 1970) is a British diplomat, national security expert, and academic. She was elected Master of Selwyn College, University of Cambridge in October 2025, the first woman to hold the position.[1]
Early life and education
Raine was born in Germany in August 1970. She read History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, graduating with a Double First BA and later an MA. She began but did not complete a PhD at Cambridge before joining the Foreign Office.[2]
Career
Raine joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO, formerly FCO) in 1995, specialising in foreign policy, counter-terrorism and national security. She held numerous senior roles in the UK's national security community.[3]
Raine's career included several key positions in the UK's national security apparatus. She led teams delivering national security objectives (2009–2012), including preparations for the 2012 London Olympics. She served as Head of Counter-Terrorism policy, Head of the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC, 2015–2017) — a core part of the UK intelligence community responsible for producing terrorism threat assessments — and Director of Counter-Terrorism (2017–2019). These roles placed her at the heart of the UK's intelligence and counter-terrorism machinery.[3][4]
Assessments Staff role
Raine was a senior member of the UK government's Assessments Staff in the Cabinet Office's Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO), during the mid 2010s. In this role she contributed to the production of national intelligence assessments on foreign policy and security threats, drawing on intelligence from across the UK intelligence community including MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.[2][3]
Overseas postings included Poland, Iraq (2003), Pakistan (2006–2009, where she ran research projects for the British High Commission), and work in Jerusalem as Associate Producer of the BBC series Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace (2005).[3]
Post-FCDO roles
Since leaving the FCDO in 2019, Raine has held academic and advisory positions. She is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies at King's College London and an affiliated lecturer at the Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics. She serves as Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Imperial War Museums, Trustee of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), and Trustee of the International Bomber Command Centre. She was previously a Trustee of Stop the Traffik (2020–2023).[5] Suzanne Raine career timeline
| Period | Role | Organisation | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Joined FCDO | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | Began civil service career specialising in foreign policy and national security. |
| 2003 | Posting | Iraq | Worked in Iraq. |
| 2005 | Associate Producer | BBC | Worked on Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace series in Jerusalem. |
| 2006–2009 | Posting | Pakistan | Ran research projects for British High Commission in Islamabad. |
| 2009–2012 | Led national security teams | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | Delivered national security objectives, including 2012 London Olympics preparations. |
| Mid-2010s | Senior member | Assessments Staff, Joint Intelligence Organisation (Cabinet Office) | Contributed to national intelligence assessments. |
| 2015–2017 | Head | Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) | Led terrorism threat assessment. |
| 2017–2019 | Director of Counter-Terrorism | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | Senior counter-terrorism policy leadership. |
| 2018–Present | Trustee (Deputy Chair) | Imperial War Museums | Appointed by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. |
| 2019–Present | Visiting Professor | Department of War Studies, King's College London | Academic role. |
| 2020–2023 | Trustee | Stop the Traffik | Charity trustee. |
| 2023–Present | Trustee | International Bomber Command Centre | Trustee role. |
| October 2025–Present | Master | Selwyn College, Cambridge | First female Master. |
Personal life
Raine is married to senior British diplomat and intelligence advisor John Raine OBE.
Honours
Raine was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to national security.