Specialisms

• Strategy
• Policy, regulation and governance
• Energy transition

As Principal at BFY, David leads client engagements on energy strategy, policy and commercial excellence, helping them to navigate a complex policy and regulatory landscape, capitalise on emerging opportunities in the energy transition and optimise their operating models for long-term success.

David has held senior leadership roles in organisations across the energy sector over the last 25 years, focused on strategy, policy and regulation. This includes senior strategy positions at both Centrica and Cadent, as well as in the heat network sector where he led the voluntary sectoral regulator Heat Trust and advised government on the introduction of consumer regulation.

David has extensive experience of advising organisations on the transition to clean energy, and the implications for both strategy and operating model across gas and electricity - from generation to networks and retail.

David has also represented clients across government and regulators advocating for a range of outcomes, including energy policy design. David’s energy regulation experience also includes sitting on the boards of several industry code bodies, and appearing as an expert witness in front of the Competition & Markets Authority.

Examples of David’s previous work:

• Led the assessment of key strategic challenges facing Cadent, and development of responses including digitalisation, business development opportunity assessment and operating model design to enhance long-term resilience and efficiency.
• Advised the Cadent Gas board on the business implications of clean energy transition, developing a low-regret response strategy to maximise shareholder value across multiple future transition scenarios.
• As former Managing Director of Heat Trust, played a pivotal role in shaping the regulatory framework for the UK heat network sector. Worked across industry and government to design and implement statutory consumer and technical regulations.
• Led the development of Centrica’s decarbonisation strategy, driving the company’s pivot towards low-carbon, customer-focused solutions. Conducted phased assessments of power, transport, and heat decarbonisation to shape the UK market response.
• Led retail market reform initiatives at British Gas, engaging with Ofgem and sitting on multiple gas and electricity industry code boards. Spearheaded engagement in the Competition & Markets Authority’s energy market investigation, focusing on regulatory compliance and retail market reform.