David was a managing editor for The Economist Group's thought leadership division in Asia. He has been writing about Asian economics, politics and finance for over 14 years. He has led numerous major research projects in the region, focusing on financial services, including most recently a series of papers on free-trade agreements in the region, several studies on the internationalisation of the renminbi, and the landmark Bank of America Merrill Lynch CFO Outlook Asia series. Among other things he is the author of a major study of middle-market companies in Japan and a chapter on the long-term future of the financial services industry in a 2015 Nikkei book charting global megatrends to 2050.

David was formerly Associate Director in Tokyo of The Economist Corporate Network, a membership-based advisory service for senior executives, and a reporter for the EIU's breaking news service, ViewsWire. He holds Masters degrees in Global Finance from NYU Stern School of Business/Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in Japanese Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), and in Modern History from Oxford University.