Blaise Metreweli Appointed as First Female Head of MI6 – A Historic Shift at the Heart of British Intelligence

For the first time in the storied history of the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service, a woman will hold the title of “C” (Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service). Blaise Metreweli has been named as the next Chief of MI6 – the 18th in the organisation’s history and the first female to step into a role long defined by tradition, secrecy, and near-mythic resonance.

Her appointment was confirmed today by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described the moment as historic and underscored the heightened relevance of intelligence services in an age of complex, evolving threats. “The United Kingdom is facing dangers on an unprecedented scale,” Starmer said, “from spy ships off our shores to cyber warfare designed to destabilise the systems that hold our society together.” Against this backdrop, Metreweli is not only a timely choice, but a deliberate signal of modernisation and strategic continuity.

Metreweli, currently Director General ‘Q’ with responsibility for technology and innovation at MI6, began her career as a case officer in 1999. Over the following two decades, she worked in operational roles across Europe and the Middle East, gradually emerging as one of the Service’s foremost minds on intelligence, digital infrastructure, and the geopolitical realities of a post-9/11 and post-Brexit era. She also held a Director-level role at MI5 – a rare crossover between the UK’s foreign and domestic intelligence institutions – bringing with her a rare dual-lens on national and global security.

Educated in Anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Metreweli combines field experience with long-form strategic thinking. Her reputation within the intelligence community has been described as both quietly formidable and deeply respected – qualities that seem essential at a time when the world’s most sophisticated threats are digital, decentralised, and increasingly hybrid.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed that sentiment, calling her “the ideal candidate to lead MI6 into the future.” With global instability reshaping the security landscape, Metreweli will now be tasked with steering Britain’s foreign intelligence efforts not only through traditional state adversaries – including Russia, Iran, and China – but also through more fluid domains of influence, including artificial intelligence, cyber espionage, and energy security.

While public knowledge of the Chief’s work will always remain partial – by design – it is significant that Blaise Metreweli will be the only named official in the agency, a symbolic and practical marker of accountability. She will succeed Sir Richard Moore, who steps down in autumn after five years as Chief. Moore praised his successor as “a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader,” adding that her appointment represents not only continuity but progress.

In a rare public statement, Metreweli herself remarked: “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 international partners.”

That a woman is now entrusted with Britain’s most secretive institution is no longer a matter of symbolism alone. It reflects a recalibration of national security leadership – one that looks outward, forward, and, at last, beyond the assumptions of the past.