Professor Stacy Johnson MBE is a Professor of Critical Inclusive Leadership at the University of Nottingham. She is also the Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of The Reverse Mentoring Practice Ltd.

Becky Thomas is a senior nurse leader, facilitator, and storyteller with just over 30 years’ experience across clinical, educational, and leadership roles. Known to many as Curious Becks, her professional brand and alter ego, she brings curiosity, creativity, and compassion to everything she does. Becky is the founder of Curious Collaborators, a consultancy focused on cultivating compassionate, courageous, and curious leadership in healthcare. Drawing on systems thinking, human factors, behavioural science, and psychological safety, her work helps teams build cultures where learning, curiosity, and safer care can thrive.

Through storytelling, innovation, and connection, she champions leadership practices that encourage continuous learning, reflective practice, and system-wide change, helping individuals and teams reimagine what’s possible. Becky also brings creative facilitation methods, including LEGO® Serious Play, to support leadership development and meaningful team dialogue.

Jess Sainsbury is a registered mental health nurse, student advocate, and Student Support Officer at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Her work focuses on helping students and early career professionals develop confidence, influence, and a strong professional voice within healthcare.
Jess previously led national membership and student engagement work at the Florence Nightingale Foundation, where she developed initiatives that amplified student voice and shared professional decision-making. She also served as Chair of the Royal College of Nursing Students Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic, representing student nurses nationally and advocating for their visibility, support, and recognition during an unprecedented time for the profession.
Jess is widely known for her work on professional identity, belonging, and the positive use of social media in healthcare. She believes digital spaces can be powerful platforms for connection, leadership, and community. Through her workshops, Jess encourages nurses and students to show up authentically, build their professional identity, and use their voice to influence the future of the profession.. Her work focuses on helping students and early career professionals develop confidence, influence, and a strong professional voice within healthcare.
Jess previously led national membership and student engagement work at the Florence Nightingale Foundation, where she developed initiatives that amplified student voice and shared professional decision-making. She also served as Chair of the Royal College of Nursing Students Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic, representing student nurses nationally and advocating for their visibility, support, and recognition during an unprecedented time for the profession.
Jess is widely known for her work on professional identity, belonging, and the positive use of social media in healthcare. She believes digital spaces can be powerful platforms for connection, leadership, and community. Through her workshops, Jess encourages nurses and students to show up authentically, build their professional identity, and use their voice to influence the future of the profession.

Joanne Bosanquet is a globally recognised nurse leader with over three decades of experience spanning clinical practice, public health, and strategic leadership.

Since 2019, she has served as Chief Executive Officer for The Foundation of Nursing Studies (FoNS), a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting nurses to develop and embed person-centred practices and fostering healthful workplace cultures.

Joanne's nursing journey commenced in 1986 as a pre-nursing student at Mexborough College. Then in1989 Joanne studied at Sheffield and North Trent School of Nursing and Midwifery to become a registered nurse. Joanne’s early career included specialisations in post-operative recovery, anaesthetics, and high dependency care.

Driven by a commitment to understand people, communities and underserved populations, Joanne undertook an undergraduate degree in health studies and then transitioned into health visiting and public health, co-developing a nurse-led primary care service for individuals and families seeking asylum in her home county of South Yorkshire.

Joanne’s interest in health protection led to her role as a nurse consultant, where she managed communicable disease control in London after completing her master’s degree in public health at City and Queen Mary Universities back in London.

In 2013, Joanne was appointed Deputy Chief Nurse for Public Health England, where she spent over six years leading on health protection, supporting nurses and midwives, developing strategic networks and relationships nationally and internationally.

Joanne’s contributions to nursing and healthcare as well as her leadership for the 2012 London Olympics were recognised with an MBE in 2013 and an Honorary Doctorate in 2017 from the University of Greenwich.

An advocate for person-centred care, people-centred policy and leadership, Joanne holds fellowships with the Royal College of Nursing and the Queen's Institute for Community Nursing. She is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey.

Joanne encourages nurses, midwives, nursing associates and allied health professionals to lead across the Sustainable Development Goals, whilst focusing on health equity and universal health coverage.

Joanne actively mentors’ health and care professionals and participates in several leadership programmes such as the King’s Fund Emerging Clinical Leaders programme and is an associate for the Centre for Population Health.

Joanne’s dedication to advancing nursing practice and leadership continues to inspire and shape the profession.

I am the Executive Director of Quality and Chief Nurse for the DLN ICBs who are an NHS body who commission all areas of healthcare for 3.25 million people across 4,500 square miles with a budget of £8,8bn. We are strategic commissioners who develop and oversee the delivery of high quality and safe services with a focus on improving population health outcomes. In this role I focus on patient care and experience, with a responsibility for quality, safety and safeguarding, chairing the Local Maternity and Neonatal System and various safeguarding boards, and leading system transformation programmes around SEND, Children and Young People, learning disabilities and maternity. I also lead on the development of personalised care and co-production which puts people and their needs at the heart of how care is designed and commissioned.
I started my working life as a HCA in a mental health inpatient hospital and qualified as a nurse in 1997. Whilst I started my career working in the Emergency Department, since then most of my roles have been outside of big acute hospitals working in primary care, community services, the voluntary sector and with the British military across the world, living for many years in Germany and Brunei.
Following my return to the UK in 2015 I have had roles in nursing and quality in the NHS within the Nottinghamshire system, taking up my first Chief Nurse Role in 2020 – my first day was the day the UK Covid National Emergency was declared!
I have had a varied career and been fortunate enough to always find jobs and projects that really excite me both personally and professionally. I love being a nurse and have never wanted to be anything else, for me this really is a vocation and my job is really closely linked to my personal value and a desire to make a difference. I have had so many wonderful experiences and worked with so many great people, so I still feel as passionate about my job and profession as I did as a 20 year old starting their training. The things I have loved most in my career are those that focus on people, both those we care with and those we care for. I try very hard to be authentic as a leader – I am
inspired by the writings of Brené Brown who says “Who you are is how you lead” so I hold on to that and try and be the best I can be and remain grounded in my personal values of compassion and care and “walk the walk” in our organisation, even in tough times.
Outside of work I have a very patient husband and 2 wonderful boys, the eldest of whom is getting married in May. I have recently discovered the benefits of exercise and now end my work week with Friday yoga. I work hard to try and maintain a good balance of work and life, although it’s not something I always achieve! I am active in my church and community and an avid Girl Guide and love camping and camp fires and I’m currently the Grantham Division Commissioner so support 27
Rainbow, Brownie and Guide Units.

Clare is an experienced nurse leader and facilitator, whose mission is to enable nurses at every stage of their career to achieve their full potential. She has significant expertise in healthcare quality improvement, policy and governance. She spent ten years as CEO of the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland where she led their transformational leadership programmes. Her vision is to unleash the creativity of nurses to be catalysts for positive change in the health of people and planet.

Professor Aisha Holloway took the role of Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for Scotland in November 2025. She is also Chair of Nursing Studies, The University of Edinburgh. She also maintains her role as Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and is a Fellow of the RCSI and RCN.

Aisha is formerly Programme Director for the global programme Nursing Now Challenge the largest global community network of early career nurses, midwives and students. She recently worked for the WHO HQ in Geneva, with a specific focus on workforce. Most recently sat on the state of the Worlds Nursing (SoWN) steering committee launched in May 2025.

She has held a number of Government, Non-Government Advisory and Board roles within the UK and Internationally.

She has built a strong research programme spanning 30 years in public health and alcohol and workforce with a strong focus on health policy and political nurse leadership.

Dr. Sally Pezaro is a Midwife academic and researcher at Coventry University’s Centre for Healthcare and Community Transformation, specializing in the advancement of midwifery through leadership and social justice. Her extensive scholarship focuses on dismantling restrictive patriarchal and colonial structures in reproductive healthcare to foster global gender equity.
A leading voice in professional evolution, Dr. Pezaro alongside Dr John Pendleton proposed the "utopian" transition from the traditional title of "midwife" to "Lead Perinatal Practitioner". This framework aims to uncouple the profession from the sex/gender binary, thereby enhancing professional autonomy and ensuring inclusivity for trans and non-binary service users. Her work further advocates for the institutional adoption of gender-inclusive language, arguing that precise, respectful terminology is an ethical imperative and a foundation for equitable care.
Dr. Pezaro also spearheads global research into midwifery leadership. The 2024 appreciative inquiry led by Dr Pezaro identified ten core characteristics of strong leaders and established critical enablers like professional development and increased societal value to elevate the profession worldwide. Through these multifaceted contributions, she continues to spearhead the global effort to create a more diverse and just perinatal healthcare system through global impact.

Professor Gemma Stacey is a Mental Health Nurse, Academic, and Charity Executive. She is currently serving as the Associate Dean for Practice at Nottingham Trent University. In this role, Gemma leads the translation of knowledge into real-world impact through capacity building, strategic partnerships, and collaborative influence. She is also Programme Director for Nursing Now Challenge - A global movement to enable and elevate the influence of students and early career nurses and midwives in practice and policy.

Prior to her current position, Gemma held the role of Deputy Chief Executive at the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF), where she successfully established the FNF Academy. During her tenure, she significantly expanded leadership development initiatives, leveraged the alumni network for policy influence, and transitioned the organisation into a thriving membership-based model.

Before her impactful work at FNF, Gemma served as an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham, holding the positions of Director of Public Engagement and Director of Graduate Entry Nursing. Her strategic initiatives focused on enhancing the university's public accountability and civic engagement, leading to the development of co-designed programs that significantly influenced curriculum, policy, and healthcare guidelines on a global scale.

As a testament to her academic impact, Gemma is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds prestigious visiting Chair positions at the University of Melbourne and University of Maribor. Her extensive academic contributions include over 50 published journal articles and 7 books, showcasing her expertise and thought leadership in the field of healthcare workforce and education.

Gemma is a sought-after speaker, frequently invited to present at high-profile events and conferences. She shares her insights on topics such as authentic leadership, psychological safety, workforce wellbeing, and meaningful co-production.