David was appointed by the board as Chairman in February 2015 and has been a director of Codan since May 2008.
Prior to joining the Codan board, David was the Managing Director of Hills Industries Limited (Hills) for 16 years. On appointment, Hills had a turnover of around $200 million. On his retirement in 2008, Hills turnover and market capitalisation were both in excess of $1 billion. Hills was in the ASX200 index and under David’s leadership, profit increased every year for 16 years.
Hills grew through a combination of internal growth and via acquisitions. During his time as Managing Director, David led around 30 successful acquisitions and joint ventures. David has strong people, financial, capital markets and M&A skills and has significant international experience, particularly focused on China, the USA and the UK. Hills employed 4,000 people globally at its peak.
Since David was appointed Chairman, Codan’s market capitalisation has grown from less than $150 million to more than $3 billion. This has been achieved by investing in people, having a commitment to continuous learning, encouraging entrepreneurship, rewarding performance and investing in innovation in a digital world.
In his role on the Board Audit Risk and Compliance Committee, David has a particular focus on the ever present cyber threats and will continue to push and support defences.
David has chaired a number of charitable and government related organisations since retiring from Hills. He is currently the Chair of the Kickstart for Kids charity based in South Australia and is a former Chair of the South Australian Economic Development board.
