David Hunt

David Hunt is Chairman of the Financial Services Division of DAC Beachcroft LLP, having been its senior partner from 1996 to 2005. He specialises in regulation and spent much of 2009 conducting an independent review of legal services regulation on behalf of the Law Society of England and Wales. He was also instructed by the Commerce and Industry Department of the States of Guernsey to review both insurance and banking on the island.

In 2008 he completed a successful independent review of the Financial Ombudsman Service. In recent years David also led the legal teams on a number of matters.

Relevant experience includes leading on:

• The ABI’s Raising Standards Initiative.
• The establishment of the PPIAB.
• The creation of AIFA.
• The setting up of the Pensions Advisers Support system.

In addition, David:

• Was awarded the MBE in 1973 and elected Member of Parliament for Wirral from 1976-83 and then Wirral West 1983-97.
• Has been a member of the Privy Council since 1990.
• Was a member of the UK government (1979-95), including the cabinet posts as Secretary of State for Wales, Secretary of State for Employment and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was a Treasurer of the Queen’s Household from 1987-89. David stepped down from the cabinet after five years in July 1995 to become senior partner. He was made a life peer in 1997.
• Took over as chair of the Association of Conservative Peers in March 2016; he is both co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and President of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Health and Safety.

David was independent Chair of the Press Complaints Commission between 2011 and 2014 and set up its successor body, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. He is a senior independent director of a number of private-sector firms.