Sally Pairman

Dr Sally Pairman is Chief Executive of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), a role she commenced in mid-January 2017 after more than 30 years of work in midwifery practice, education, and regulation in her home country of New Zealand. Previous roles include, Professor of Midwifery, Director of Learning and Teaching and Head of Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic. Before joining ICM she has also held several national and international midwifery leadership roles; five years as President of New Zealand College of Midwives, nine years as the first chairperson of the inaugural Midwifery Council of New Zealand, nine years as Co-Chair of ICM’s Regulation Standing Committee and six years on ICM’s Scientific Professional Programme Committee. Sally has contributed to the midwifery academic field with numerous publications, including ‘Midwifery Partnership: a model for practice” and “Women’s Business: the history of the New Zealand College of Midwives 1986-2010” (co-authored with Karen Guilliland). She is co-editor for the Australasian midwifery textbook, “Midwifery: Preparation for Practice”, now in development for its 5th edition. Throughout her career, Sally has maintained her commitment to promoting midwifery as a strong, autonomous profession and to maintaining choices for women in childbirth services as evidenced through her political and professional activities and through her research and publications. Her services to midwifery were recognised in 2008 when she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.