Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE, is the first Chief Midwife for the International Confederation of Midwives. She has a passion for supporting midwives and health systems to ensure that all women and gender diverse people have the same maternity experiences and outcomes as those who have the best. She served for four years as the first Chief Midwifery Officer for the NHS in England and was one of two National Maternity Safety Champions appointed by the Department for Health and Social Care. Jacqueline is a registered nurse and midwife and a visiting Professor of Midwifery at Kings College London and London South Bank University. She has held senior positions in clinical practice, education, leadership and management. Jacqueline is the chair of the maternity advisory group for the Health and Race Observatory in England, a member of the Women of the Year management committee, Midwifery Ambassador for the ‘Saying Goodbye’ charity, Patron for Baby Lifeline and the Caribbean and African Health Network and midwifery advisor for the RCN Foundation. Noted as one of the Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) most influential people in health, in 2020,2021 and 2022 and 2024,she was also selected from over 100 nominations for inclusion in the Nursing Times’ Leaders 2015 list, that celebrates nurses and midwives who are pioneers, entrepreneurs, and inspirational role models in their profession. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the NHS in England in 2023, she has was recognised by the Nursing Times as one of 75 nurses and midwives who have contributed in a significant way to the NHS. In 2024, she was awarded honorary doctorates from Worcester and Winchester University in the UK
