June 16 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the first woman head of the country’s secret intelligence service, MI6, since it was formed in 1909.

Blaise Metreweli will be promoted from her current role as “Q,” in which she is the agency’s lead on technology and innovation. She will take over from the current holder of the role of “C,” MI6 Chief Sir Richard Moore, when his term is up in the fall, No. 10 Downing Street said in a news release Sunday.

“The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital. The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale — be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services,” Starmer said.

As C, the 47-year-old will serve as the face of British intelligence in more ways than one, since she is the sole named operative. The identities of roughly all 3,600 agents of the organization a closely guarded state secret.

A career intelligence officer who has also held senior roles at the sister-domestic intelligence service MI5, Metreweli is a Middle East specialist with a lengthy track record as an operative in the region, as well as in Europe.

“I am proud and honored to be asked to lead my service. MI6 plays a vital role — with MI5 and Government Communications Headquarters — in keeping the British people safe and promoting U.K. interests overseas,” she said.

“I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners.”

Outgoing chief Moore said in a post on X that Metreweli was the right person for the job, particularly with the current tensions in the Middle East and her out-of-the-box thinking in using technology.

“I am absolutely delighted by this historic appointment of my colleague, Blaise Metreweli, to succeed me as ‘C’. Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology. I am excited to welcome her as the first female head of MI6,” said Moore.

MI6, which began life as the Secret Service Bureau, has never been led by a woman, in contrast with MI5 and the electronic surveillance agency GCHQ. MI5 has previously been headed by two women, while Anne Keast-Butler continues to head GCHQ after being appointed in April 2023 by the previous Conservative government.

The Guardian noted that the on-screen M, James Bond‘s handler in the film franchise was played by Judi Dench for almost two decades, starting alongside Pierce Brosnan in his first stint as 007.