About the Speaker
David has led and developed organisations around the world working with some of the world’s best
known and loved brands in 40 countries. He now works as a strategic advisor to brands, organisations,
teams and ambitious senior executives in growth mode. As an accredited leadership coach, he inspires
transformational growth and generational change through high-performance coaching and strategic
advisory services with c suite leaders, ambitious senior leaders and teams.
David’s career began in the UK where he led and developed F&B brands across the country including
America leading a franchise team on his first brand to the UK. Whilst there he studied and researched
at the University of Central Florida. He attained his Masters degree at Coventry University where he
was subsequently invited to join their Advisory Board until he left the UK to embark on his
International career in Moscow where he worked as part of a board level turnaround team for Russia
and the CIS largest restaurant group as Brand Director and then as a consultant designer for
Mercedes Benz creating their first restaurant of its kind to enable the launch of the A Class into Russia.
He moved to the UAE to take a position on the Retail Board of Al Tayer as Vice President of
hospitality, a strategic and operational role. Al Tayer is one of the most respected retail family
businesses in the region. David reported to the CEO, and the Board. David’s last corporate role was
with the franchised Hard Rock Café business across 40 countries in EMEA and South Asia as Vice
President which involved working with a diverse mix of franchisees, family offices and investors and
reporting to the US based Board.
In 2022 he formed Oraculi, a thought leadership and strategic advisory practice which he now leads as
founder, advisor, NED, transformational growth coach and business mentor working across sectors
globally where a key area of David’s work is advising leaders and brands on their entry to market.
From a leadership perspective, how to adapt to cultural change, boardroom dynamics. He works with
c suite leaders acting as a soundboard, mentor and coach where required. Very often his role evolves
as his clients gain their career progression to the Board from coach to mentor, advisor and NED.
David still works closely in the F&B industry advising, creating, developing and coaching and has
widened his expertise from a focused hospitality and F&B position where he is widely regarded as a
subject matter expert, in particular from a franchise perspective. His advisory roles now include AI
technology, brand development and design, largescale events, entertainment services, consumer
brands and a significant non-executive role in a private equity venture.
Within his transformation work, he focuses on transformational leadership and culture development,
leveraging his global experience across multiple industries. Oraculi emphasises that culture should be
designed with intention, aligning strategically with business objectives to drive sustained growth and
performance.
David has two daughters who both live and work in Dubai; Katie, a former teacher now with a global
sales role and Hollie who is a Marketing and PR Manager. He is currently authoring his first book
BEYōND Boundaries Beyond, how to form your authentic purpose driven goals and his perspective on
the theory within.
