Profile of Sarah Mullally, first female Archbishop of Canterbury

Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally, a former nurse turned Anglican prelate, has made history as the first woman to be appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England.

Her nomination as the 106th Archbishop was officially announced on 3 October 2025. She will be formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026.

Profile summary

Name: Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally,

Born: 26 March 1962

Nationality: British

Education: London South Bank University

Relationship status: Married

Religion: Christianity

Career: Clergy, Nurse

Birth

Born Sarah Elisabeth Bowser on 26 March 1962 in Woking, Surrey as the youngest among two daughters.

While many of her peers aspired to become doctors, Mullally chose a different path.

Inspired by her Christian faith, which became central to her life at the age of 16, she decided to pursue nursing drawn to its holistic care of both body and spirit.

Academic journey

She schooled at South Bank Polytechnic (now London South Bank University), gaining her nursing qualification in 1984, and later completed a master’s degree in health and welfare studies.

Her early years on the wards of St Thomas’ Hospital and the Royal Marsden taught her the rigours of clinical practice, but it was leadership that soon beckoned.

Early career

By the late 1990s, she was working at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as Director of Nursing and later Acting Chief Executive.

Then, in 1999, she made history as the youngest person ever appointed Chief Nursing Officer for England a role in which she shaped national health policy at the highest level.

Her work earned her the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2005, a recognition for her contributions to nursing and midwifery.

Ministerial calling

Even while serving at the top of the NHS, Mullally felt a different pull: ordained ministry.

She began training in the late 1990s, combining her work in healthcare with studies in theology. In 2001, she was ordained deacon, and the following year, priest.

Leaving behind her senior NHS post in 2004, she committed fully to parish ministry.

She served in Battersea Fields and later became Team Rector of Sutton in south London, alongside teaching ethics and taking on leadership roles within the Church.

By 2012, she was Canon Treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral, a position that gave her national visibility within the Church of England.

Her rise was swift. In 2015, she was consecrated Bishop of Crediton, becoming one of the first women bishops to be consecrated at Canterbury Cathedral.

Just two years later, she was appointed Bishop of London, the third most senior post in the Church and one never before held by a woman.

Leadership in the Church of England

As Bishop of London, Mullally oversaw one of the largest and most diverse dioceses in the country.

She balanced tradition with reform, defending the place of those opposed to women’s ordination while also championing inclusion.

In 2020, she broke new ground again by becoming the first female bishop to act as principal consecrator in the Church of England, ordaining two new bishops in a service usually led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Her influence extended beyond the church walls. She was sworn into the Privy Council in 2018, became the first female Dean of the Chapel Royal, and played a visible role in national events, including the coronation of King Charles III in 2023.

Private life

Mullally got married to Eamonn Mullally in 1987, and together they have two children.

She has spoken openly about living with dyslexia, admitting she finds some parts of church life like reading genealogies in Scripture challenging.

Since becoming Bishop of London, she has lived at the Old Deanery near St Paul’s Cathedral, even converting a former laundry into a small oratory where she leads daily prayers.

Mullally describes herself as a feminist and a theological liberal, but she has also been careful to foster unity in a church often divided over gender, sexuality, and tradition.

She supports the ordination of women and greater pastoral care for LGBT+ people, while affirming the Church’s current teaching on marriage.

Appointment

On 3 October 2025, Dame Sarah Mullally was announced to succeed Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, shattering centuries of precedent as the first woman to hold the office.

Her election will be confirmed at St Paul’s Cathedral in January 2026, followed by her installation at Canterbury Cathedral in March.

Her appointment represents not only a personal milestone but also a symbolic one for the Church of England, which only began ordaining women as priests in 1994 and bishops in 2015.

For Mullally, however, the journey is not about breaking barriers for their own sake.

It is about serving God and people with compassion, whether at a hospital bedside or in the highest office of the Church.