Blaise Metreweli is set to be the 18th chief of the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service, making her the first woman to occupy the role in MI6 history. She succeeds Richard Moore, who will retire by autumn 2025.
“I am proud and honored to be asked to lead my service. MI6 plays a vital role – with MI5 and GCHQ – in keeping the British people safe and promoting U.K. interests overseas,” Metrewell said.
In her new role, the incoming chief, commonly known as “C,” will lead the agency’s operations and report directly to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. She will also join the Joint Intelligence Committee, collaborating with other government leaders and receiving intelligence reports and situation analyses.
The incoming chief currently serves as the organization’s director general for technology and innovation. Before her time at the agency, she held a director-level position at the U.K. Security Service, or MI5.
Metreweli holds an anthropology degree from Pembroke College in Cambridge, England.
Commenting on MI6’s first woman on top, Moore said, “Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader and one of our foremost thinkers on technology.”