EQL appoints former Australian government health leader David Grant as Executive Advisor, Government & System Partnerships (Australia)

EQL has appointed David Grant as Executive Advisor, Government & System Partnerships (Australia), to support the expansion of Phio, EQL’s digital MSK and virtual physiotherapy platform,  across Australia’s workers compensation and motor accident schemes, as well as the broader healthcare sector. 

The rollout follows EQL’s six-month pilot with a global labour hire firm, in which Phio delivered a 14:1 return on investment and saved more than $339,000 in potential Workers Compensation claim costs, this has subsequently led to the employer contracting for a further 12 months across their wider employee base.

David joins EQL following his role as Director of Health Policy at the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), where he led policy and system reform across the NSW workers compensation and compulsory third-party (motor accidents) schemes. In this role, he oversaw healthcare utilisation and trends across compensable injury schemes. His work focused on improving outcomes for injured people while addressing rising system costs, variation in care quality, and long-term scheme sustainability – a challenge facing insurers, policymakers and health leaders nationwide.

A senior physiotherapist trained in Manchester, UK, David has lived and worked in Australia for 14 years. His experience spans musculoskeletal care, policy development, value-based healthcare reform, and large-scale service delivery, including leading complex, system-wide reforms and multi-million-dollar programs. He focuses on delivering better outcomes for patients while ensuring sustainability in publicly funded systems and insurance-based schemes.

David said: “Right now, Australia needs practical, evidence-based solutions to rising healthcare costs and poor recovery outcomes. What stands out to me is the scale of the evidence behind EQL’s model and its ability to match care to need, ensuring people receive the right level of support at the right time, while improving outcomes and value for compensable injury schemes, insurers and the broader system”.

“David’s extensive experience working with government, regulator and insurers will be invaluable as EQL expands its footprint across Australia’s workers compensation and motor accident schemes,” said Jason Ward, Co-founder and CEO. “His deep understanding of policy, service delivery, and MSK care strengthens our leadership team and enables us to bring best-in-class support to more people across the country and embed evidence-based MSK care within compensable injury systems”.

His appointment comes at a pivotal time for EQL. David will help guide engagement with insurers, regulators and government, supporting the adoption of Phio within workers compensation and motor accident schemes. Drawing on evidence from large-scale UK deployments, he will provide insight into how digital tools can improve access, outcomes and system efficiency in Australia including in compensable injury contexts.

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