David is a proven business operator, consultant, restructuring leader and trusted advisor to senior leadership, owners, and investors. David has held CEO, CFO and COO positions in companies of all sizes, from start-ups through to mature, scaled enterprises.  

David has deep experience in telecommunications & technology, consumer services, heavy industry, healthcare, leisure and entertainment industries and professional services.

He loves tackling tough problems, finding growth and value in adversity.

He is a passionate leader, inspiring colleagues and clients to apply new technologies and new thinking to grow with vision and purpose. 

He has exceptionally broad international experience: has lived in London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Dubai, Brussels and Amsterdam, has worked in over 50 countries.   

Business Operations, Digital Transformation   

• Held Senior Executive and Interim Management positions across multiple sectors: technology, consumer goods, manufacturing, minerals

• Delivered multiple digital transformations, growing revenue 2x+, delivering >50% EBITDA growth. Pivoting loss-making companies to sustained profit

• Led multiple turnarounds, restructuring, recapitalizations, strategy, operating model, organization and culture re-designs and digital transformations when the stakes are high and time is short

• Rebuilt entire governance structures from Executive Boards through to ExComs and operational management of listed market leaders and family-owned SMEs 

• High impact engagements with companies of all sizes and all stages; from start-ups through to $-hundred million to $-multi billion pan-regionals

• Worked with senior leadership of Government, pre-eminent investors, companies and family business owners in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia

• Deep commitment to deploying ESG in everyday business: special focus on SDG 8 and the development of decent work as the foundation of economic progress

Deep Technology, Industry, Consumer, Services Expertise

• 20+ years consulting and delivery for owners and shareholders in all regions: USA, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa.

• Deep experience across the technology value chain from license & asset acquisition, network and capacity construction, rollout & expansion, in-life operations, financing, governance, and operational restructuring.   

• Significant engagements for governments and authorities on telecommunications licensing, spectrum allocation, deregulation, asset separation & optimization and negotiations with licensed operators.   

• Operational responsibility for large-scale extraction, refining and sales operations for largest integrated mining company in the Middle East.

• Deep operational engagement in large-scale real estate and retail operations and development 

• Digital transformation for consumer goods, consumer services, technology and heavy asset companies

Entrepreneur, Founder, Investor

• Co-founded only ESG-focused investment fund explicitly linking social impact to GP compensation in Frontier Markets.

• Started businesses in technology, consumer leisure & entertainment and asset management. 50% success rate with 2x cash-on-cash returned plus IPR.

• Early investor and innovator in Digital Rights Management and content protection technologies and publishing / distribution models for handheld devices.

• Innovating deployment of NFTs and asset identification technologies in trading bulk physical commodities.