British MI6 Intelligence Agency For The First Time Led By Women

JAKARTA - The British government for the first time appointed women to lead the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), an overseas intelligence agency known as MI6 on Sunday.

The woman is Blaise Metreweli (47), a career intelligence officer who currently serves as head of MI6 technology or known as "Q".

Metreweli joined MI6 from 1999, spending most of his career in operating roles in the Middle East and Europe, the government said in a statement.

"I am proud and honored to be asked to lead my agency," said Metreweli, who took one of the most powerful jobs in Western intelligence and will be known under the codename "C".

Metreweli previously played a director-level role at MI5, and studied anthropology at Cambridge University, the government said.

The current head of MI6, Richard Moore, will resign in Fall after serving for five years.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is currently in Canada for the G7 summit, said Metreweli's appointment comes as Britain " faces an unprecedented threat".

"I know Blaise will continue to provide the extraordinary leadership needed to defend our country," he said.

Metrelli's appointment makes MI6, founded in 1909, joins other British intelligence agencies, the MI5 domestic spy agency, and the GCHQ intelligence communications agency that has female leaders.

MI5 once had two female bosses, starting with Stella Rimington in 1992. Eliza Manningham-Buller led MI5 between 2002 and 2007.

In 2023, England appointed its first female director to GCHQ.

Metreweli's appointment came three decades after actress Judi Dench first played a female boss at MI6 in the James Bond film "GoldenEye".

Metreweli's biggest challenge is most likely to deal with Russia, China, and Iran.

Britain's spy agency accuses Russia of launching a sabotage campaign across Europe of scaring other countries against supporting Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion.

Moore in 2021 said China was the only top priority for its spy agency, while MI5 said last year that Iran had been behind 20 plans to kill, kidnap, or target dissidents or political opponents in Britain since 2022.

MI6, described by the novelists as a employer for some of the most memorable fictional spies, from John le Carr\"e's Georgelore to IanANG's James Bond, operates overseas and is tasked with defending Britain and its interests.