Blaise Metreweli appointed first female head of the MI6

London - Blaise Metreweli, a career intelligence officer, has been appointed as the first female head of Britain’s  foreign spy service known as MI6.

She will be the first woman to head MI6 in its 116-year history.

Metreweli, 47, who is currently MI6's head of technology, known as "Q", joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999, and has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe, the British Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Sunday.

Richard Moore, the current chief of MI6, will step down in the autumn after a five-year tenure.

"I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service," said Metreweli, who takes on one of the most powerful jobs in Western intelligence and will be known by the code name "C".

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Metreweli's appointment comes when Britain is "facing threats on an unprecedented scale".

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

Metreweli's biggest challenges are likely to be dealing with Russia, China and Iran.

MI6 is tasked with gathering intelligence overseas to improve the UK's security, with its core aims being to stop terrorism, disrupt the activities of hostile states, and bolster cyber-security, the BBC reported.

Its chief, commonly referred to as 'C', is the only publicly named member of the service.

Ms Metreweli, who studied anthropology at the University of Cambridge, has previously held director level roles in MI5 - MI6's sister, domestic security agency - and spent most of her career working in the Middle East and Europe.

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