Martin Bowles

Martin Bowles AO PSM is the National Chief Executive Officer of Calvary Health Care (Australia), responsible for more than 18,000 staff and volunteers, 14 Public and Private Hospitals, 72 Retirement and Aged Care Facilities and a national network of Community Care Centres.

Martin joined Calvary in November 2017 following an exemplary 40 year public service career spanning a diverse portfolio of industry sectors in the Commonwealth, Queensland and New South Wales Governments.

In the Australian Government, Martin was Deputy Secretary in the Department of Defence and then Climate Change, and then Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Martin’s last appointment was as Secretary of Health from October 2014 to September 2017.

During his public service career, Martin played an integral role in changes across the health sector, including the significant recent reforms to government funding for public hospitals in Australia, to generate greater efficiency, safety and quality in the hospital system.

Before joining the Australian Government, Martin held senior executive positions in the education and health portfolios in the Queensland and New South Wales governments.

Martin’s exemplary public service career was acknowledged in 2012 with the award of the Public Service Medal (PSM) for delivering highly successful energy efficiency policies and remediation programs for the Home Insulation and Green Loans programs. In June 2019, Martin was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to public administration at the senior level, and to policy development and program implementation.

Martin is currently also the Chair of Australia’s Health 2040 Taskforce, an initiative of Global Access Partners; a board member of the NSW Public Policy Institute, a newly formed independent organisation, working with the NSW Government to improve social, environmental and cultural outcomes for the community of NSW; and a member of Champions of Change Coalition, a group that offers a powerful platform to demonstrate commitment to gender equality and accelerate progress on diversity priorities.

Martin is a Fellow of the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants.