A NEW head of the 80 million Anglican Communion in 160 countries will be appointed today. He is Rt. Revd. Justin Welby, a former oil executive who had spent some part of his working career in Nigeria during the civil war of 1967-70.
Bishop Welby, whose official title after inauguration will be Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in London in 1956.
His choice after months of waiting, following the voluntary resignation of Dr. Rowan Williams in March, comes naturally. Welby is reputed to be a gifted negotiator, a man of warm charisma, a good listener and one who, although opposes gay marriages and ordination of female bishops, is ready to accommodate their views.
The current Bishop of Durham has been the favoured candidate to succeed Williams for some time, despite the Church of England drawing out the decision making process since March.
While clergymen may have delayed in reaching their verdict, for many of those who have worked closely with Welby, he is a natural choice as the leader of the Church of England.
The 56-year-old has a fascinating background and family, having turned his back on a successful career in the oil industry 20 years ago to become a priest.
Dr. Welby was educated at Eton and read Law at Trinity College, Cambridge during formative years in a colourful family.
His father, Gavin Welby, made a living as a whisky bootlegger in 1920s Prohibition America, before at one stage dating Vanessa Redgrave.
Meanwhile his mother, Jane Gillian (nee Portal), had once been a private secretary to the late Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
Welby's early career gave no clue as to his anticipated position as the head of the Church of England.
He worked as a financial director in the oil business and was group treasurer for FTSE 100 oil exploration group Enterprise Oil Plc before his drastic career change.
After 11 years in the oil business, Welby quit the industry in 1992 to pursue a career as an Anglican priest.
The father-of-five, himself, happily married for 30 years, took a degree in Theology, later explaining that he was "unable to get away from a sense of God calling."
His decision to join the church was also made in part due to personal tragedy.
In 1983, a car crash claimed the life of his seven-month old daughter - Johanna - a tragedy which he said was a "very dark time for Caroline (his wife) and myself," but one which "brought us closer to God."
Recalling the moment Welby turned his back on the oil industry, his former boss at Enterprise Oil, Sir Graham Hearne, told The Guardian of London that he was not happy that Welby left their company even for the work of God. After Welby explained, Hearne said that, "I understood fully the reasons.
"I think I knew he had faith, but he didn't push it in your face at all."
Welby was rector at St. James Church in Southam, Warwickshire from 1995 until 2002, before moving on to roles at Coventry Cathedral and as the Dean of Liverpool in 2007.
Welby was consecrated as Bishop of Durham - the fifth most senior Church of England bishop - last October, in what has been a rapid ascent through the CofE hierarchy.
But Rev. John Armstrong, who took over when Welby left one of his earliest church posts in Southam, believes his predecessor has the required skills to be a success as the new Archbishop.
Rev. Armstrong told Yahoo! News UK: "His faith made him the sort of person he is today, but he had gifts which were applicable both in the oil industry and working in the Church.
"He is good at communicating with people and getting them to communicate with each other, and that will work in his favour in his new role.
"He certainly did a good job here and was instrumental in bringing this Church a lot more alive than it was before."
Although said to be an opponent of same sex marriage and the appointment of gay bishops, Welby is not said to be aggressive in his beliefs.
His more understated approach, as well as his business expertise, are likely to endear him to Church leaders more than the conservative thinking of other frontrunners such as the Archbishop of York, the Rt. Revd. John Sentamu.
Welby's ability to listen to opponents' point of view will also be key in his new role.
Other former colleagues of Welby have described him as an "enthusiastic, hands-on vicar" who is also "very, very likeable."
Perhaps it is his ability to engage with the ethics of the City that is the clincher, however.
Welby promises to be a chief executive with a conscience, to boot. But it is his political brain that matters most.
He is a healer of wounds, not an aggravator - a skill he will have need of during his time in Lambeth Palace.
From there he will take charge not just of the Church of England but also the schism-hit worldwide Anglican Communion.
A tough job for a man whose working life once confined him to whizzing through slides in corporate boardroom presentations.
