The UK government will approach the first female head of its secret intelligence service, MI6, with two women participating in the agency's top position, responsible for recruiting agents to monitor dangerous work in the UK overseas.
In the past few weeks, four shortlisted candidates have been shortlisted for the leadership of the UK Foreign Intelligence Agency to drop to two, according to people familiar with the process.
The last pair of jobs traditionally known for the code name "C" is Barbara Woodward, who is currently permanently represented in the UK as the United Nations and former Chinese ambassadors, as well as female candidates from within MI6.
Given the confidentiality surrounding SIS staffing, the Chief is the only member of the spy agency to be “declared” or publicly named. Therefore, the Financial Times is not naming internal candidates.
Since the founding of SIS, the successful candidate will be the first female executive in more than a century. She will be in the position of the institution's current head of Sir Richard Moore this fall after a five-year term. Moore has been an advocate for more diversity in the appointment process, having previously promised that he would be the last “C” to be selected from the all-male shortlist.
Whitehall officials said the final decision will be made by Prime Minister Sir Kyle Starmer and Foreign Minister David Lammy after a "fireside chat" with the candidates. Starmer's national security adviser Jonathan Powell is also expected to gain comments. The process is run by the Cabinet Office under the leadership of Pat McFadden, the principal of the Principal of Lancaster.
Three familiar with the discussion said the announcement of successful candidates is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. One person said this was partly to avoid conflict with the long-awaited UK strategic defense review publication this week.
The other two candidates for the last four are Jonathan Allen, director of defense and intelligence at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), another internal MI6 candidate.
In the process of possible appointment of female SIS chiefs, the UK government proves that life does imitate art. It's been 30 years since actress Judi Dench first played the director of MI6 in the James Bond movie Goldeneye.
But while waiting for real-life female leaders for so long, SIS lags behind its sister institutions in the UK and the entire Atlantic.
The British domestic intelligence agency MI5 is led by two female directors: Mrs. Stella Rimington, who was appointed as Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller 10 years later in 1992 as head of the agency.
British Signal Intelligence Agency GCHQ appointed Anne Keast-Butler as the first female director two years ago. During Donald Trump's first term as U.S. president, Gina Haspel was appointed the first female director of the CIA.
The new "C" will come into work at a critical moment in the UK intelligence community as it tackles challenges including the destruction of increasingly warlike Russia, rising security threats in Iran and the use of cyber attacks to test the country's critical infrastructure.
Trump has also been threatened to reduce military support for Europe and include Canada in the U.S. relations, including those of the Five Eyes Intelligence Sharing Alliance (including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand).
While some former ambassadors, including Moore and Sir John Sawers, have been promoted to the role of head of SIS, few external candidates have no direct experience within the agency. It is understood that Woodward never worked directly for MI6.
Moore, formerly the British ambassador to Turkey, was initially recruited by MI6 shortly after leaving university and then transitioned to a more traditional diplomatic career within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The FCDO, who is in charge of MI6, did not comment immediately.