David has had a successful career in the private and public sector and is now CEO of The New Zealand Story, an ambitious government-funded organisation marketing New Zealand to the world. He also acts as a consultant and is a director on several boards, including as Chair of The Icehouse, and the Hi-Tech Trust. David is an ex-comedian, TV and radio actor, semi-finalist for New Zealander of the Year, cancer survivor and a published author of the books No.8 Re-wired, No.8 Recharged, A Mild Touch of the Cancer, and Silver Linings. David is the Ambassador for the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research and a living example of the effectiveness of advanced Cancer treatment – CAR T-Cell Therapy.

Why David?

The theme of the 2025 Conference is We Work Better Together. David’s career is a pristine example of the power of networking, of finding connections and building amazing success. Even the fact that he is still with us is a result of his reaching out and taking part in a trial of an advanced cancer treatment.