David Edmonds

David Albert Edmonds CBE (born 6 March 1944) is a British businessman, former civil servant, and board chair.

The son of Albert and Gladys Edmonds of Kingsley, Cheshire, he was educated at Helsby Grammar School and the University of Keele. He was a civil servant from 1966 to 1974 before becoming a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

Returning to the Civil Service in 1975, from 1979 until 1983 he was Principal Private Secretary to Michael Heseltine, Secretary of State for the Environment. After a year as an under-secretary for Inner City Policy, he became chief executive of the Housing Corporation from 1984 to 1991. He was deputy chairman of the board of the New Statesman and Society from 1988 to 1990. He became a managing director responsible for Group Property and Central Services within NatWest Group (1991–1998). He was Director General of Oftel from 1998 to 2003 where he championed the unbundling of BT's local loop, the reduction of mobile charges and the deregulation of directory enquiries. He then went on to chair NHS Direct from 2004 until 2008. He was appointed as chairman of the Legal Services Board – the over-arching regulator for the legal profession in England and Wales – on 17 May 2008, and reappointed for a second term (2008–2014) He was chair of Wincanton PLC from 2008 until 2011, having joined that board in 2005.

He was a board member of property developer Hammerson plc (2003–2011), a legal services Commissioner (2004–2008), and a founder member of the Ofcom Board (2003–2005). He was a board member of William Hill plc (2005–2014) and of Barchester Health Care (2015-2019).

He married Ruth Beech in 1966 and the couple have four children. He is a past president of the Wimbledon Park Golf Club and a member of the Malden Golf Club.

Honours CBE (2003); University of Keele, honorary Doctor of Letters.