David Leakey has held a succession of posts at the very top level of military, commercial, national, multinational organisations, and in the political complex of Parliament, Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels.
His experience includes leadership of large multi-disciplinary staffs, major change management and complex operations. He has chaired boards and meetings of ambassadors and defence chiefs, a major commercial enterprise, a national charity, committees and boards in Parliament and in government departments and not-for-profit areas. With wide experience of governance, he has a particular strength in security, intelligence, business resilience and continuity, together with risk assessment and management. He now has non-executive, advisory and consultancy roles in three international companies in the Industrial, Chemical and IT sectors.
He was made CBE in 1996 for his contribution to peace and reconstruction in Bosnia where he commanded a multinational brigade; previously he was also a negotiator at the Bosnia Peace Talks in Dayton. He was appointed CMG in 2006, a primarily diplomatic honour, for his leadership of the European Union Force and for his diplomatic contribution to the international missions in Bosnia and the Balkans. In 2018, the Queen appointed him CVO in recognition of his service in Parliament.
| 2011 – 2017 | Black Rod Parliament |
| 2007 – 2010 | Director General in European Union |
| 2004 – 2005 | Command of 10,000 strong EU and multinational security force in Bosnia |
| 2001 – 2004 | Chief Executive of Defence Training and Recruiting Agency |
| 1997 – 2001 | Director of Military Operations in MOD and Chief of Staff in Northern Ireland |
Education: Cambridge – Law. Fluent French and German
David is Trustee and governor of numerous charitable, musical, sporting and educational organisations
