PARIS: France appointed its first woman domestic intelligence chief on Wednesday, with top police officer Celine Berthon stepping up to head the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI).
The 5,000-strong organisation plays a key role in counter-espionage, fighting terrorism and cybercrime. The rise of Berthon, 47, has been meteoric. She became number two of France´s national police only in April after being the first woman -- and the youngest person -- ever to lead its frontline operations in 2021. Berthon had previously headed the police commissioners´ union.