Billy Stewart

Speaker Bio

Billy Stewart is an experienced development professional who has worked with the UK’s Department for International Development and then the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office for 25 years.

Billy completed a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Oxford (in Chinese Studies) and then postgraduate study in Development Studies and Public Health at the London School of Oriental and African Studies, and Beijing Medical University. He is currently completing a distance learning masters in Epidemiology with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Billy has worked for DFID and then FCDO in China, India, Myanmar, Sierra Leone and DR Congo, initially on health programmes and then more broadly on management of sizeable development and humanitarian portfolios. In China he led DFID’s work to respond to the threat of HIV/AIDS, whilst in India he led on project work around reproductive and child health, access to health commodities, and HIV/AIDS. As senior health adviser in India he oversaw a portfolio of state level health, WASH and nutrition programmes. In Myanmar he led DFID’s work on health and education and was Deputy Head of the DFID Office helping to develop wider humanitarian programmes in response to the Rohingya crisis. Billy has also worked on a number of disease outbreaks, including Ebola virus outbreaks in West Africa in 2014/5 and IN DR Congo in 2019.

Most recently, Billy worked as Development Director for the Occupied Palestinian Territories in Jerusalem, leading the UK’s development and humanitarian programming to support the Palestinian population, and particularly humanitarian programming in response to the war in Gaza. He was awarded an OBE in the 2025 Kings Birthday Honours list for this work.