Sarah Mullally

Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally (née Bowser; born 26 March 1962) is a British Anglican bishop and England's former chief nursing officer who has served as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury since 28 January 2026. As archbishop, she is the senior bishop of the Church of England and the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion. By virtue of her position, she is also a lord spiritual, one of the 26 Church of England bishops who sit in the House of Lords. Born in Woking, Surrey, Mullally trained as a nurse and worked in several clinical and leadership roles in the National Health Service. She became chief nursing officer and director of patient experience for England in 1999, the youngest person to hold the posts, and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for services to nursing and midwifery. She left the NHS in 2004 to pursue full‑time ordained ministry. Ordained priest in 2002, Mullally served in the Diocese of Southwark before becoming canon treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral in 2012. She was consecrated Bishop of Crediton in 2015 and translated to the Diocese of London in 2018, becoming the first woman to serve as Bishop of London. In 2026, she succeeded Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.