Dr Frances Hughes has over 30 years’ nursing experience and has held senior healthcare roles in several countries, including as chief executive of the International Council of Nurses, chief nursing and midwifery officer at Queensland Health, and professor of nursing and mental health at the University of Auckland. Earlier in her career, Frances was the Ministry of Health’s chief nurse.

Frances has a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences from Massey University, a Master of Arts from Victoria University and a Doctor of Nursing from the University of Technology Sydney. In 2019, she was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and mental health and was also the first nurse to be awarded the Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy. She was also awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award and distinguished alumni awards from both Massey and UTS.