Sharon Nesmith

Nesmith is from Northumberland.[1] Her father was an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve, and her brother served in the British Army for 16 years.[1] She studied biological sciences at the University of Edinburgh.[1] She was sponsored through university by the British Army, having been awarded a university cadetship.[2]

Nesmith's husband Walker works as a tree surgeon,[1][3] and she has two sons.[1]

Nesmith was commissioned in the British Army on 4 September 1988 as a second lieutenant (on probation) as part of her university cadetship.[2] Following university and Sandhurst,[1] she joined the Royal Corps of Signals in 1992.[4] She has served in the Balkans, Iraq and Latvia.[1]

In August 2014, Nesmith became the first woman to command a British Army brigade when she was chosen to command the 1st Signal Brigade.[4] Her role was formally announced by Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon in September 2015, almost a year after she started in the role.[1][3] The brigade consists of between 1,500[1] and 5000[4] troops. This was the highest role ever taken by a woman in the British Army.[4][5]

On 8 March 2019, The Times reported that Nesmith was to be appointed as Director (Personnel) at Army Headquarters and will sit on the Army Board.[6] She assumed the appointment on 14 March 2019 and was promoted to major general.[7] On 15 March, she was appointed to the honorary position of Assistant Colonel Commandant of the Adjutant General's Corps.[8] She was appointed Master of Signals on 2 October 2020, succeeding General Sir Nick Pope KCB, CBE.[9] She became General Officer Commanding of Army Recruiting and Initial Training Command in January 2021.[10] It was announced in April 2022 that Nesmith would become Deputy Chief of the General Staff in August 2022, and will thus become the first woman to hold the rank of lieutenant general in the British Army, and first woman to be promoted to an OF-8 rank.[11][12]

Nesmith has been a vice-president of the Army Football Association.[13]