MI6 will be led by a female spy chief for the first time in its 116-year-old history.
Blaise Metreweli has been appointed as the next head of the Secret Intelligence Service, replacing Sir Richard Moore in the autumn.
For decades, the 47-year-old has held some of the top roles in MI6, MI5 and the Foreign Office, but until now she has kept her true identity secret.
In contrast to Bond author Ian Fleming’s dismissive portrayal of ‘blithering women who thought they could do a man’s work’, female spies have risen to the top of every UK intelligence agency, apart from MI6.
It was 1995 when Dame Judi Dench became the first woman to take up the fictional ‘M’ character in the Bond movies.
But in real life, it has taken considerably longer to appoint a woman to the role actually known as ‘C’, with MI6’s current spymaster promising in 2023: ‘I will help forge women’s equality by working to ensure I’m the last C selected from an all-male shortlist.’
Ms Metreweli will be the 18th chief in the organisation’s history when she takes up the reins on September 30.
The appointment comes at a time when Britain faces unprecedented threats from adversaries, with Sir Richard warning recently: ‘I’ve never seen the world in a more dangerous state’.
