David has been a City & Guilds Councillor since 2006.

He is a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. He is also an independent Non-Executive Chairman of Trinity Retirement Benefit Scheme.

He is a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (2003-4) and continues to be a Fellow. He was a member of the North West Regional Council of the CBI (1993-2003) and was also Deputy Chairman of the Financial Reporting Council (2003-4).

He was a member of the Takeover Panel in 2003-4.

He worked at KPMG from 1968 to 2004 advising a wide range of business sectors, primarily manufacturing, retailing and consumer markets, and the education and co-operative sectors.

He is a member of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants and a governor of two independent schools – Oldham Hulme Grammar Schools since 1992 (where he is now vice chairman of the Board of Governors) and Withington Girls School since 2006 where he is Treasurer.