In a historic move, the UK government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first woman to lead the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday, citing the need for strong leadership as the country confronts “threats on an unprecedented scale.”
Metreweli will become the 18th head of MI6, globally recognized through the fictional legacy of Ian Fleming’s James Bond, though the real-life agency is far more discreet. The role, officially known as “C,” is the only publicly identified position within MI6 and reports directly to the Foreign Secretary.
“This is a landmark appointment at a critical moment for our national security,” Starmer said in a statement issued by Downing Street. “The United Kingdom is facing increasingly complex threats — from foreign spy vessels encroaching on our waters to highly sophisticated cyberattacks targeting our public infrastructure.”
Metreweli is set to replace current MI6 chief Richard Moore in the autumn. She currently serves as the service’s Director General for technology and innovation — a role likened to the fictional “Q” — and is regarded as a leading authority on modernising intelligence operations.
A career intelligence officer, Metreweli joined MI6 in 1999 after studying anthropology at Cambridge University. She has held senior posts at both MI6 and the domestic intelligence agency MI5, with a focus on operational work in the Middle East and Europe.
Her appointment marks a significant milestone in the evolution of British intelligence, coming more than 30 years after MI5 named its first female director general, Stella Rimington, who served from 1992 to 1996. Eliza Manningham-Buller followed from 2002 to 2007, and in 2023, GCHQ appointed its first female chief, Anne Keast-Butler.
While Judi Dench famously portrayed a female “M” in the James Bond films, Blaise Metreweli’s real-life leadership of MI6 represents a long-overdue shift in the top ranks of UK intelligence.
