<span style="color: #222222;">A former ambassador has been named as the first woman to lead Italy's secret services. Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced Elisabetta Belloni as head of the Department of Information Security (DIS) on Wednesday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The department oversees the country's foreign and domestic intelligence services and reports directly to the Italian government. After serving as a diplomat in Vienna and Bratislava, Ms Belloni went on to lead the Italian foreign ministry's crisis unit from 2004 to 2008, the first time a woman had held the role.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Ms Belloni rose up within the ranks to become the first woman in the role of secretary-general of the foreign ministry, Italy's highest diplomatic post, and a position she has held ever since.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">As part of its work on foreign and domestic intelligence and security issues, Italy's DIS also deals with counter-espionage and cyber security.</span><br />''