Blaise Metreweli | |
|---|---|
| Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service | |
Designate | |
| Assuming office 1 October 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Sir Keir Starmer |
| Succeeding | Sir Richard Moore |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Blaise Florence Metreweli 30 July 1977 |
| Relatives | Constantine Dobrowolski (grandfather) |
| Education | Pembroke College,Cambridge |
Blaise Florence Metreweli CMG (born 30 July 1977) is a British civil servant and director general of technology and innovation in MI6 ("Q"). She is scheduled to take over as Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service ("C") on 1 October 2025,following the retirement of Sir Richard Moore from the Service. Upon assuming office she will be the first woman chief of MI6.
Blaise Florence Metreweli was born on 30 July 1977. [1] Metreweli,together with her siblings,spent part of her childhood in Hong Kong. [2] She left Cheltenham Ladies' College in 1993, [3] then attended Westminster School in London. [4] From 1994 to 1995,Metreweli was captain of Westminster School. [3] [5] She then studied anthropology at Pembroke College,Cambridge,graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cambridge in 1998. [6] [7] [8] [9] At Cambridge,alongside future Olympians Sarah Winckless, [10] Francesca Zino, [11] and Alison Mowbray, [12] she was a member of the Cambridge University Women's Boat Club Blue Boat crew that won the 1997 Women's Boat Race against Oxford University. [13] In the same year,Metreweli was part of the rowing crew that won the 1997 May Bumps for Pembroke College against other Cambridge University teams. [14]
Metreweli's father,Constantine Metreweli,was born Constantine Dobrowolski,the son of Nazi collaborator Constantine Dobrowolski,in Snovsk in the Chernigov Oblast of the Nazi-occupied Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1943. He came to England with his mother,who then married David Metreweli in Yorkshire in 1947. [2] [15] After attending The Latymer School,the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford,he became a physician and radiologist,and was chair of diagnostic radiology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also trained in the British Army,and did a medical residency in Riyadh from 1982 to 1985. [16] [9] He took the surname Metreweli,which is of Georgian origin,from his stepfather. [2] After the Daily Mail broke the story about Metreweli's paternal grandfather in June 2025,following the announcement that Metreweli was going to be head of MI6,the Foreign Office stated that she had never known him and that her complex Eastern European heritage had "contributed to her commitment to prevent conflict and protect the British public from modern threats from today's hostile states,as the next chief of MI6". [15]
Metreweli joined MI6 in 1999, [9] and "spent much of her early career in the Middle East,at a time when Britain was involved militarily in Afghanistan and Iraq". [17] Since that time,she has worked continuously as an intelligence officer, [18] including director-level roles at MI5. [19] [20] Metreweli's roles in intelligence included senior roles in the Middle East focused on counterterrorism,and have required that she address state threats against a background of complex geopolitical issues,including China's biometric surveillance and cyberattacks by Russia. [9] From 2000 until 2003 Metreweli was Second Secretary for Economic in Dubai,for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [1] Around the time that John Sawers became Chief of MI6 in 2009,Metrewli was heading up an MI6 station in the middle-east. [21]
During her career Metreweli has given newspaper interviews:to The Telegraph in 2021 (under the code name "Director K"),and to the Financial Times in 2022 (under the pseudonym "Ada"). [17] [22] As of December 2021 [update] she was on secondment as Head of Hostile States Counterintelligence ("Director K") to MI5. [23] [24] As of June 2025 [update] ,Metreweli was Director General of Technology and Innovation ("Q") at MI6, [24] [20] [19] [9] At that time,and for the first time,three of the four MI6 directors-general were women. [22] [25]
In June 2025,Metreweli was announced as the next chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6),following Sir Richard Moore when he retires in autumn 2025. [26] [6] She will take office in September or October 2025. [24] [27] There were four candidates for chief of MI6,three from the British intelligence agencies,and Barbara Woodward from the Foreign Office. [28] Metreweli is the first female head of MI6,who is known as "C". As chief of MI6,she will become the only publicly named member of the service. [18] She will be the third chief to have studied at Pembroke College,Cambridge. [17]
Metreweli was appointed a Companion of the Order of St. Michael &St. George (CMG) in the King's Birthday Honours for 2024,where she was listed as "Director General,Foreign,Commonwealth and Development Office" with a citation of "For services to British Foreign Policy". [29] [30]
Metreweli is fluent in Arabic. [17] She has children, [23] [24] and takes part in masters rowing, [17] [28] rowing in the 2024 and 2025 veterans boat races between Oxford and Cambridge. [31]
FCO since March 2003; Born [1977-07-30]; FCO 1999; Second Secretary (Economic) Dubai 2000; Band C4.
Blaise Metreweli: now captain of Westminster School. … When Blaise Metreweli, 17, said that she was going to leave Cheltenham Ladies' College in 1993, her headmistress offered to make her head of the school. She turned down. Today she is Captain of Westminster, with 598 boys and 70 girls under command. She is studying Russian, economics, history and art.
Year 1996-7 / President: Sarah Winckless (Fitzwilliam) / Date of races: 23rd March [1997] at Henley / Result: Cambridge by 1 ¼ lengths in 6 mins 26 secs / Crew: Blue Boat / Bow: Emily Grabham (LMBC) ... 5: Blaise Metreweli (Pembroke) … 6: Francesca Zino (Magdalene) … Spares: Alison Mowbray
Burning their boats: the victorious Pembroke women's crew set light to an eight in celebration of their Headship in the May Bumps. In the women's event, Pembroke powered their way over to take the Headship for the first time since the women started rowing. Head Boats: Women: Pembroke: Cox Sonja Peasey, stroke Erin Rose, 7 Chris Warren, 6 Blaise Metreweli, 5 Annette Fischer, 4 Antonia Beresford, 3 Zoe Hargreaves, 2 Ellie Day, bow Alice Bateman.
[06:58‒07:46] This is John Sawers, I was chief of MI6 from 2009 to 2014, having spent most of my career in the Foreign Office. I didn't know Blaise before I became Chief, but I met her on one of my early trips to the Middle East where she was heading a station there: the MI6 station there, and doing an excellent job and she was impressive from the outset. … no-one has a gilded path in this world, but she clearly had leadership potential: she was great presence; she is quite an inspiring figure; very clear and focused; but also with a quick sense of humour, and good at managing people. So, she had all the qualities for leadership, and I'm sure she'll be very good at it, but it's a new role for her.
Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George … Blaise Metreweli, director general, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. For services to British foreign policy.