MOSCOW: Spy fans saw it in the movies when Q, the head of the spy agency in the 'James Bond' franchise, was a woman. It is a reality now.
The head of British intelligence agency MI6 will be a woman for the first time, as the agency's leadership is choosing one of three female candidates who have reached the final interview, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti quoting the Times.
Interviews for the post took place last week, and all three final candidates were women, two of them were MI6 officers, the publication added.
The newspaper noted that the identity of only one of the three candidates is known - former UK Ambassador to China Barbara Woodward, now the highest-ranking woman in the Foreign Office.
It is noted that her candidacy has been criticised for being sympathetic to Beijing.
For the record, about 3,600 personnel are employed by MI6 in its London headquarters at Vauxhall Cross on the south bank of the River Thames and in covert locations around the world.
But despite nearly half of them being women, with a growing number working in senior roles, none has ever made the shortlist to become the head of the service.
The current head of MI6, Richard Moore, is due to leave this fall after five years in charge. - Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti
