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Michael Oatley (1935-2026) was a senior MI6 officer who was the service’s Controller for the Middle East and Counter-terrorism from 1984 until 1988, and Controller for Europe from 1988 to 1991. From 1973 until 1991 he maintained a back-channel link with the IRA which proved central to the emergence of the Irish peace process.
After leaving the service, he worked for Kroll Associates and co-founded Ciex, two corporate investigation companies which were particularly active in post-apartheid South Africa.
