David Arkless

David Edwin Wilson Arkless (born February 1954) is a British businessman. He was president of Corporate and Government Affairs at ManpowerGroup and later president, International, of CDI Corporation.

Since 2013 he has served as chairman of ArkLight Consulting.

Early life and education Arkless grew up on a council estate near Durham and was an active rugby player in his youth.

He studied General Arts at Durham University, graduating in 1976. He has subsequently completed executive programs at INSEAD, IMD and the College of Business at San Jose State University.

Career Arkless worked for Hewlett-Packard in the human resources department and later founded the business consultancy Caden Corporation, which was immediately successful. His work focused particularly on international labour markets, and he advised governments including those of China, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

Arkless represented ManpowerGroup on the board of the International Confederation of Private Employment Agencies (CIETT) from 2007 and was elected its vice-president in 2011 for a three-year term. He also served on advisory bodies associated with the International Organization for Migration and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and was a core adviser to the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).

Arkless has also been involved in initiatives against human trafficking. He served as president of End Human Trafficking Now and was a founding counsellor and co-chair of the Global Business Coalition Against Trafficking.

Personal life Arkless is an honorary professor at Durham University and a board member of Durham University Business School. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Travellers Club.