Britain on Sunday named Blaise Metreweli, a career intelligence officer, as the first female head of the Secret Intelligence Service, the foreign spy service known as MI6.
Metreweli, 47, who is currently MI6’s head of technology, known as “Q”, joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999, and has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe, the government said in a statement.
Richard Moore, the current chief of MI6, will step down in the autumn after a five-year tenure.
“I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service,” said Metreweli, who takes on one of the most powerful jobs in Western intelligence and will be known by the code name “C”.
I am delighted to announce that Blaise Metreweli will succeed me as Chief of #MI6 on 1 October 2025. Blaise has had a distinguished career as an intelligence officer and leader. She possesses all the qualities to be an outstanding ‘C’. Read more here 🔽https://t.co/w2HJ8cj1xs
— Richard Moore (@ChiefMI6) June 15, 2025
MI6, founded in 1909, joins the other main British spy agencies, the domestic spy service MI5, and the intelligence communications agency GCHQ, in having appointed a female head.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is currently in Canada for the G7 summit, said Metreweli’s appointment comes when Britain is “facing threats on an unprecedented scale”.
“I know Blaise will continue to provide the excellent leadership needed to defend our country,” he said.
Metreweli’s biggest challenges are likely to be dealing with Russia, China and Iran.
Britain’s spy agencies have accused Russia of waging a campaign of sabotage across Europe to scare other countries off from backing Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion.
According to the BBC, Ms Metreweli, who spoke under the pseudonym “Director K” during her time at MI5, told The Telegraph in December 2021 that the threats facing UK national security are “truly diverse.”
She noted that the primary focus includes safeguarding government, protecting classified information, defending individuals from assassination attempts, and securing the economy, sensitive technologies, and critical knowledge.
She emphasized that “Russian state activity – not Russia itself – remains a threat,” while also acknowledging that China is “reshaping the global landscape,” bringing both significant opportunities and risks for the UK.
According to Reuter, Moore in 2021 said China was the single greatest priority for his spy agency, while MI5 said last year that Iran had been behind 20 plots to kill, kidnap or target dissidents or political opponents in Britain since 2022.
MI6, depicted by novelists as the employer of some of the most memorable fictional spies, from John le Carré’s George Smiley to Ian Fleming’s James Bond, operates overseas and is tasked with defending Britain and its interests.
Metreweli previously held a director-level role in MI5, and studied anthropology at the University of Cambridge, the government said.
MI5 has had two female bosses, starting with Stella Rimington in 1992. Eliza Manningham-Buller ran MI5 between 2002 and 2007.
In 2023, Britain named its first female director of GCHQ.
Metreweli’s appointment comes three decades after the actress Judi Dench first played a female boss of MI6 in the James Bond film “GoldenEye”.
