Meet Blaise Metreweli: UK's first woman to lead MI6 spy agency

The United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence agency, MI6, will be led by a woman for the first time in its 115-year history. Blaise Metreweli, a senior intelligence officer with over two decades of experience, will take over as chief this autumn, according to a statement from Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Metreweli, 47, began her career with MI6 in 1999 and currently serves as the Director General of its technology and innovation division. She will replace Richard Moore, who has heading the agency since 2020.

The incoming chief has worked in various senior roles at MI6 as well as MI5, the UK’s domestic intelligence agency. She studied social anthropology at Cambridge University and spent most of her operational career in the Middle East and Europe.

Starmer praised the historic appointment, saying: "The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital. The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale, be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber-plots seek to disrupt our public services."

METREWELI SAYS SHE’S HONOURED TO LEAD

Responding to her appointment, Metreweli said, "I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service."

"MI6 plays a vital role -- with MI5 and GCHQ -- in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas. I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners," she said as quoted by The Guardian.

Her appointment comes amid growing international threats of cyberattacks in geopolitical conflicts. MI6 works with domestic agency MI5 and digital surveillance body GCHQ.

Metreweli’s appointment breaks a long-standing barrier in British intelligence. While MI5 and GCHQ have previously had female heads -- Stella Rimington and Eliza Manningham-Buller for MI5, and Anne Keast-Butler for GCHQ -- Metreweli will be the first woman to lead MI6 since its founding in 1909.

Metreweli is currently in charge of MI6’s Q section, which handles the agency’s advanced technology operations. This division mirrors the fictional "Q branch" seen in James Bond films, where gadgets and tech are developed for spies.

Metreweli’s predecessor, Richard Moore, served nearly five years as MI6 chief. A former diplomat, Moore was previously the UK’s ambassador to Turkey.