Prior to 2014, he held senior leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer of Elders Rural Bank—recipient of the first APRA-issued banking license in 2000—Chief Operating Officer of a Top 100 ASX-listed investment firm, CEO and founder of an investment banking business in the Dubai International Financial Centre, and CEO of an Australian law firm.

In 2014, Stuart was appointed CEO and Managing Director of Litigation Lending Services Ltd, a leading litigation funder operating across Australia and New Zealand. Under his leadership, the firm played a pivotal role in the origination, funding, and resolution of the landmark Stolen Wages (QLD) class action. Representing over 12,000 First Nations Peoples, the $190 million settlement in July 2019 marked Australia’s largest human rights class action at the time—and remains one of the most significant social justice outcomes in the nation’s legal history.

In 2018, Stuart co-founded the Association of Litigation Funders of Australia (ALFA) alongside John Walker and served as its inaugural CEO and Managing Director, shaping the voice and direction of the litigation funding industry in Australia.