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David has acquired extensive experience in several fields of business consulting since establishing Vantage Consulting Group. Major projects over recent years have encompassed due diligence on and reviews of industry based research consortia, Government Funding Panel memberships, regional development projects, and strategic and business planning.

From 1994 to 1998, David acted as Commercial Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Rt. Hon Bill Birch. This involved close liaison with other ministers, senior government officials, company directors and senior executives from the private sector in New Zealand and offshore, representatives of national industry organisations, leaders of national Maori organisations, and overseas political leaders and representatives from many countries.

From 1990-1994 David worked for Deloitte, where he managed and executed a number consulting assignments for major public and private sector organisations in the electricity, banking, primary industry, retail telecommunications, health, education and food manufacturing sectors. This work encompassed a number of functional areas including; director procurement, organisational reviews, competitive analysis, strategy development, market research, due diligence, policy development, team building, logistics planning and risk analysis.

For the period to 1990 David worked for the Development Finance Corporation and associated companies. He specialised in corporate banking and venture capital (in New Zealand and USA), following a period in industry, market and organisational research. Directorships included Fuelquip Services Ltd, Nerine Nurseries Ltd and New Zealand Beef Packers Ltd. He was directly involved in what was arguably the formal commencement of venture capital in New Zealand in 1980 - the establishment of the Small Business Venture Capital Fund.

From 1971 to 1981, David commissioned, managed and executed research involving the construction, horticulture and other industries. He was awarded an ANZAC fellowship in 1975 and worked at CSIRO in Australia.

David is a member of the Global Expert Professional Network administered in New Zealand by the Foundation for Research Science and Technology. He is an active angel investor, and a director of Kristil Technologies Ltd and Remote Safe Ltd, along with Air Flow Products Ltd, a company owned by the New Zealand Asthma Foundation. He is a longstanding Trustee of Lower Hutt's Sacred Heart College Mission Trust Board. David has a Master of Arts in industrial psychology, a Bachelor of Arts in social science and a Bachelor of Business Studies in marketing. He is a Member of the Institute of Directors. Outside work he enjoys road cycling, swimming, kayaking, fishing and social golf and bowls.

Between 1980 and 1984 Dave worked for Mobil Oil at its United Kingdom headquarters in London with contract roles in human resources and IT business equipment evaluation. Between 1984 and 1986 he was General Manager of a Blenheim based fruit growers cooperative with responsibility for the establishment of a fresh fruit packing and marketing operation and the management of over 200 staff in peak season.

From 1986 to 1995 Dave worked for the Development Finance Corporation as Manager Credit & Litigation with responsibility for managing a portfolio of over 400 accounts. He successfully recovered in excess of $100 million in problem loans.

In 1995 Dave joined Credit Agricole Indosuez (one of the ten largest banks in the world) as Head of Credit for New Zealand. He was responsible for managing business relationships across a range of sectors in New Zealand and offshore, assessing credit risk and developing lending proposals for facilities in excess of NZ$100 million.

Since becoming a consultant in 1998 Dave’s activities for his clients (which include Telecom and Transpower) have included; dispute resolution, public sector commercial project management, syndicated facility debt restructuring for an offshore bank (US$810 million), investment portfolio valuation and divestment, credit risk management system design and implementation, litigation support and expert witness services.

Over 17 years Dave has managed more than 500 disputes, claims and payment defaults arising primarily from contractual disputes or business failures. These totalled in excess of NZD500 million. He has managed debt recovery & dispute resolution processes in New Zealand, Australia, USA, UK and Hong Kong.

Dave has a Bachelor of Arts Degree and is a LEADR-trained mediator.