Born and raised in Jamaica, Davis emigrated to the UK in 1967 to train as a nurse and later as a midwife before going on to teach midwifery.
[2] Her goal is to see midwives acknowledged as the "lead professionals in maternity care, working together to enhance the wider public health both nationally and internationally".
Davis was appointed General Secretary of The Royal College of Midwives in 1994 and served until October 2008.
In her period of leadership Davis transformed the RCM into the modern professional membership organisation and effective trade union that it is today.
She instituted the Annual Midwifery Awards, which recognises midwives for the crucial role they play in the health of women and families.