David Stewart, MHM, BNRN, is a highly accomplished, passionate, and strategically focused health professional and leader offering nearly three decades of experience within the health care sector at the global level and across Australia. Focused on providing advice, guidance, and leadership on the development and execution of strategies, policies, frameworks, and management systems, Stewart plays a pivotal role in improving health care accessibility, services, and patient outcomes by enabling key stakeholders to embrace change, drive reform, and integrate innovation. He is recognized as a values-based, collaborative leader who empowers teams, influences decisions, secures buy-in, and achieves mutual yet favorable outcomes.

Stewart has been with ICN since 2016 and has led seminal pieces of work that have led to the transformation of health care and nursing. He has accomplished this by engaging with nursing and other health professional thought leaders across the world.

Stewart is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Technology Sydney, WHO Collaborative Centre. His research focuses on factors influencing global health policy. Stewart holds a Master of Health Management and a Bachelor of Nursing from the Queensland University of Technology.

Prior to working for ICN, Stewart held various executive and high-level leadership positions in Queensland Health. This included working as Director of Nursing in the Office of the Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office; Director of Central Integrated Cancer Service; Director of Data Integrity and Patient Safety; and Nursing Director of Cancer Services. This has given him a broad depth of experience in health service delivery, policy and regulatory environments, and project management. As such, Stewart has strategic vision for budgeting, governance, and regulatory reporting requirements.

Stewart has published in numerous formats, including textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, reports, and guidelines. He is a highly proficient and sought-after public speaker seeking to inspire and influence the next generation of nursing leaders.