Graduating from St Andrews in 1964 with a degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry, David trained as a petroleum engineer with Schlumberger. His early career included field service engineering roles in Paris, Pau, Algeria, Nigeria, and Patagonia, followed by a managerial position at Texaco Europe in Brussels. He managed a factory producing analytical chemicals in Belgium before shifting to marketing at Wynns and then Dow Corning Europe. After consulting for the European Commission, He joined Lion Industries, eventually relocating its headquarters to the UK in 1988, where he remained until selling the company in 2016.

As a retired professional, he now focuses on advising local authorities on reducing fossil carbon emissions and combating climate change. He served as a Lichfield City Councillor for over 20 years and a public Governor of Burton hospital for 7 years. David is a Fellow and Trustee of The Lunar Society, leading its Climate Change Working Group.