Who is Blaise Metreweli, first female head of Britain’s MI6?

A spook for more than a quarter of a century, Metreweli was ‘Q’ at the spy agency. Now she’ll be known as ‘C’. Here’s why.

The British government on Sunday appointed Blaise Metreweli as the country’s first woman to serve as chief of the UK’s foreign spy service MI6.

But though she will be the first woman to lead the agency, Britain – and the world – have long had women play leading roles in espionage.

So who is Metreweli, what does the boss of MI6 – also known as “C” – do, and who are some of the other female spies that have left a mark on the field?

Metreweli, 47, is a career intelligence officer. Until her appointment as head of MI6, she was the director general of technology and innovation at MI6, also known as “Q”.