‘Q’ turns to ‘C’: MI6 names its first female chief as James Bond predicted

It took MI6 just 30 years to catch up with Judi Dench.

Blaise Metreweli, currently the agency’s head of technology and known internally as ‘Q’, has been appointed as the first female chief of Britain’s foreign spy service. The 47-year-old will formally take over this fall when current director Richard Moore steps down after five years in the top job.

Metreweli, a Cambridge-trained anthropologist and veteran intelligence officer, joined MI6 in 1999 and has held a string of operational roles across the Middle East and Europe. She also served in a senior position at MI5, making her one of the most experienced cross-agency operatives in British intelligence.

She’ll now be known as “C”, the traditional codename for the MI6 chief. Here’s the superb Dench in the famous role, although she was named ‘M’ in the movies.

Her appointment marks a milestone for British espionage. While MI5 and GCHQ have already had female directors, MI6 – home to James Bond and George Smiley – had remained a boys’ club at the top.

Global challenges ahead for MI6

Metreweli takes charge amid rising geopolitical pressure from Russia, China, and Iran, all flagged as top threats by UK intelligence. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking from the G7 summit in Canada, said she would bring “excellent leadership” at a time of “unprecedented” danger.

Still, for a service that prides itself on secrecy and tradition, appointing a female “C” signals that even the old guard can change... eventually.

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