HR expert David Smith has played a pivotal role in the human resources of Asda for many years. Devoting the majority of his career to HR, David has developed a wide range of skills from performance management and cultural change to restructuring and growing business. Now an internationally sought public speaker, David has spoken for the likes of Barclaycard, the NHS and Red Bull helping leaders to navigate times of major change.
Best known for his time working with Asda, David Smith was formerly the People and IT Director and Executive Board Director for Asda. With Asda, David was responsible for various strategies involving loss prevention and workplace culture for the people of Asda. He is widely remembered for huge turnaround at the retailer, taking the company to the number one Best Place to Work in The Sunday Times Survey, a feat that no other large company had either performed before or been able to since. Outside of Asda, David is also known as the former Chairman of the Institute for Employment Studies.
Before joining Asda, David studied at Henley Management College achieving an MBA in Business and at the Sheffield Hallam University achieving a BA in Business. David first entered the working world as part of the coal industry, where events such as the mining strikes and restructuring of the industry allowed him to begin to build his knowledge of business relations and HR. From 1994, David joined Asda and worked his way through the ranks, having a significant impact on the business that we see today. David helped to develop schemes such as the All Colleague Bonus Scheme, IVF Leave, basic skills programmes and Grandparents Leave.
Currently, David is dedicating his time to public speaking and authoring his own books. David is the author of Asda Magic- The 7 Principles of Building a High-Performance Culture, Culture Trumps Strategy- Achieving High Performance Through People and Performance Management for the 21st Century. He also provides mentoring and workshops for corporate clients in the art of employee engagement, reasons for change and business turnaround. As a public speaker, David is sought to speak on customer service, leadership in tough times, powerful business communication and effective change. Awarded the Sam Walton Award for excellence in people policies, David Smith is the perfect choice as a speaker for your next corporate event.
