David Martin is the National General Manager Hotel Services at For Purpose Aged Care Australia, bringing more than 20 years of hospitality leadership experience across fine dining, hotels, healthcare, and aged care services.
In his current role, David leads the strategic direction of hotel services across multiple aged care communities, overseeing catering, cleaning, laundry, hospitality, compliance, and resident dining experiences. He is responsible for driving operational excellence, service innovation, standardisation, workforce development, and quality outcomes across the organisation’s national portfolio.
With over a decade of dedicated experience in the aged care sector, David has built a reputation as one of Australia’s leading advocates for transforming food and hospitality services within residential aged care. His focus is centred on enhancing dignity, choice, nutrition, and the overall dining experience for older Australians through innovation, contemporary hospitality practices, and resident-centred service delivery.
A recognised industry leader, mentor, and speaker, David is known for challenging traditional approaches to aged care dining and inspiring teams to deliver exceptional outcomes. His culinary philosophy draws on modern gastronomic techniques and hospitality best practice, combining creativity, nutrition, and operational excellence to redefine expectations of aged care food services.
Throughout his career, David has received numerous national and international accolades for innovation and leadership within the sector. He served as the Creative Director of an industry-leading IDDSI cookbook, helping to advance texture-modified meal presentation and nutrition outcomes for older Australians.
Among his achievements, David was named a Top 24 Finalist in Australia’s National Chef of the Year Competition 2026 and was awarded the prestigious Aging Australia Innovation Award (Individual Category) in 2025, selected from more than 3,000 nominations nationally in recognition of his outstanding contribution to aged care innovation.
His work and the achievements of the teams he has led have been recognised by local, national, and international media, with several programs being highlighted as benchmark examples of contemporary aged care dining. David has also achieved success in competitive culinary arenas, including multiple Gold Medals at the Australian Culinary Federation Restaurant Challenge and Silver Medals at the London Culinary Salon.
Passionate about continuous improvement, leadership development, and elevating resident experiences, David remains committed to transforming hotel services within aged care. His vision is to create environments where exceptional food, hospitality, cleanliness, and service excellence contribute meaningfully to quality of life, ensuring every resident receives care and service delivered with dignity, professionalism, and compassion.
