Blaise Metreweli, a veteran intelligence officer, will become the first female chief of Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6. She will succeed Sir Richard Moore later this year, marking a historic leadership transition in the 115-year-old agency.
In a landmark appointment, Blaise Metreweli has been chosen to head the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, becoming the first woman ever to lead the agency since its founding in 1909. Metreweli, 47, will formally take over in the autumn from Sir Richard Moore, who has led MI6 since 2020.
Metreweli currently serves as Director General of Technology and Innovation at MI6—a role internally known as “Q”—responsible for modernizing the agency’s cyber and surveillance capabilities. Her leadership in integrating advanced technology and artificial intelligence into British intelligence operations is widely credited with enhancing the country’s global intelligence reach.
A Cambridge graduate in social anthropology, Metreweli began her MI6 career in 1999 as a field officer. Over the past 25 years, she has worked in several intelligence roles, including at MI5, and spent a large part of her career focused on Middle Eastern operations. Known for her analytical sharpness and low-profile approach, she rose steadily through the ranks during a time of increasing hybrid threats, cyber-espionage, and state-sponsored attacks.
Her appointment comes at a time when the UK faces significant international security challenges, including cyber threats from China, Iran, and Russia. In a statement, Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the strategic importance of her selection:
“This is a time of complex global threats. Blaise brings an ideal mix of experience, innovation, and leadership.”
The MI6 chief is publicly referred to by the codename “C”—a tradition that began with the service’s founder, Mansfield Cumming. Though most MI6 officers remain anonymous, the chief serves as the public face of the service, delivering occasional speeches and representing UK intelligence at key international forums.
Outgoing chief Sir Richard Moore, who was previously the British Ambassador to Turkey, held the role through a period of geopolitical upheaval, including the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Moore has often advocated for gender inclusivity in intelligence leadership and is believed to have personally supported Metreweli’s candidacy.
The Guardian notes that MI6 has long trailed behind its counterparts—MI5 and GCHQ—in appointing female leaders. This appointment now brings all three major UK intelligence agencies under female leadership for the first time in history.
