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MI6: breaking the glass ceiling, first woman to head British foreign intelligence

She will succeed Sir Richard Moore by the end of the year. An expert in technology and the Middle East, she has already held key roles in MI5 and the “Q” division

For the first time in its 116-year history, the British foreign intelligence service MI6 will be led by a woman. Blaise Metreweli, 47, will take over from Sir Richard Moore, the current director, by the end of the year.

Metreweli, currently head of the “Q” division, responsible for technology and innovation, expressed her pride at the appointment: “I am honoured to take on this role,” she said. She has also held positions in MI5 in the past, developing solid experience in dossiers related to the Middle East and Europe.

The choice was welcomed with enthusiasm by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who spoke of a ‘historic’ appointment at a time when ‘intelligence work is more vital than ever.’ Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who oversees MI6, also called Metreweli the ‘ideal’ candidate to tackle an era marked by global instability and emerging threats.

According to the BBC, Metreweli will lead the agency at a crucial time, between hostile cooperation from powers such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea and the growing centrality of technology in contemporary espionage, which now also takes place online and in space.

Her predecessor Moore described her as “one of the most brilliant minds in technology” within the British services.

The head of MI6, known by the code name “C”, is the only senior officer in the service to have a public identity and reports directly to the Foreign Office. The role still maintains some symbolic traditions, such as the exclusive use of green ink, in homage to the founder Mansfield Cumming.

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