David Lancefield

I am an advisor to senior executives, an author, presenter, coach and senior partner in Strategy&. I help organisations and industries grow profitably and sustainably, whether through new ventures, partnerships, organisational restructuring, pricing improvements, policy reform or investigations. I inject new ideas, insight, energy and structure to decisions and initiatives, moving from strategy to execution. I often lead large and complex transformational projects, coaching leaders along the way to build new capability and confidence. My belief is that successful transformation starts with the individual, in terms of their beliefs, motivations and behaviours. And it involves imagination, drive, resilience and good humour.

I've worked in 20 countries over the last 22 years, leading more than 600 projects. Industry bodies have given me five awards for the impact of work I’ve led. I’ve helped to improve the growth, positioning and performance of the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, IHG, Informa, Pearson, Virgin Media, HPE, Vodafone, Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi Media Company, BUPA, the Pensions Regulator, Southern Water, Ofwat and Monitor, OFT (now CMA), DCMS and BIS. I’m particularly proud of my impact in leading the a strategic review of the pensions regulator, an 18-month price review for Ofwat reviewing £43bn of investment expenditure, securing £1bn State aid approval for Royal Mail prior to privatisation, improving the licence terms for ITV to the tune of £135m, turning around Technicolor, launching Freesat, Radioplayer and BBC Store, securing positive results in competition investigations in to Formula 1, BBC, BUPA, Mastercard and Sporttech, developing a new vision and strategy for Channel 4, and designing aspects of the reform of the NHS (including pricing, focusing on £65bn of spend).

My articles have been published in the Harvard Business Review (twice), Strategy&Business (six times), Huffington Post, Financial Times, the Times, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, and I’ve authored more than fifty reports for organisations like the BBC, CBI, Ofcom and PwC itself. Recently my research has focused on the strategy and leadership issues relating to AI, Board dynamics in a digital age, Brexit and transformation.

I’ve presented at TEDxUCL, Advertising Week Europe, MIPCOM Cannes, various think tank (IPPR, Demos) seminars, Informa industry events as well as Board/executive team events and business school lectures (London Business School, Imperial Business School) on the topics of strategy, innovation, leadership, disruptive shifts in industries, partnerships, pricing, reform of the public sector.

I’ve pioneered PwC’s research into the implications of the megatrends, and developed partnerships with the London Business School (teaching, research and the Goshal conference on strategy), the Institute of Economic Affairs (on the Beesley Lecture Series on Regulation), the Economic Research Council (Clash of the Titans predictions on the economy) and the Institute of Public Policy Research (on the future of competition in health and education).

I blend creativity, analytical rigour, positive energy and empathy in everything I do. My aim is to help organisations and individuals to tap into their full potential. I’m passionate about inclusion, especially for those with disabilities, and fostering environments that are conducive to mental health.

I have an MSc (Distinction) and BSc (First Class) in economics from the University of Warwick. And I live in Hertfordshire with my wife Saloni, and young son, Sachin.