David is experienced in collaboration, building relationships and social entrepreneurship.
After co-founding a couple of tech-related startups in London, seeking a greater sense of purpose in his work led to managing two ecological social enterprises in Papua New Guinea. Combining social, economic and environmental impact, this approach has shaped his direction ever since.
Back in the UK, David found diving into community development in Bristol a brilliant way to learn about the place and its people – eventually applying this local knowledge to lead the writing of a collaborative bid to secure a £3m investment in the city’s social economy. This milestone also gave him a springboard to reconnect with tech and international development just as IDEMS was looking for social investment.
What’s the most interesting project or problem you’re working on right now?
Helping to figure out how to communicate IDEMS’ underlying approach to a wider public is exciting and exasperating. Translating it, on one hand, into the story of a sustainable enterprise for investors and, on the other, into a model for impact that partners in Ghana, Kenya and elsewhere can really make their own.
What’s a recent professional success you’re especially proud of?
It’s not quite complete yet, but facilitating data sharing between meteorological and hydrological services in Zimbabwe is almost at the point of making a breakthrough which should really help farmers deal with a changing climate. My colleagues have done all the hard work but I’m pleased to have helped the project over several bumps in the road – and it should be a promising model for other countries.
What social problem is nearest and dearest to you?
The injustice of climate change is a big driver, so using technology to mitigate rather than exacerbate its impact is an important start – then rebalancing social and economic power towards a future that’s equitable and livable in the longer term. (To me, this is an integral aspect of social mobility in the widest sense.)
Where is home?
Home is Bristol for the current chapter. Culturally it’s really exciting and diverse. I can walk into town to find the world in music and out of town to find the world in forests and fields. For the next chapter, home will be somewhere else, but I don’t know where yet.
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