Meet the Team - David Hall, Managing Director
In this weeks meet the team blog we introduce you to our Managing Director, David Hall.
After 20 years leading innovation and international business development for RBS and Virgin Group, David moved into consultancy in fintech and digitalstart-ups. He has worked with exciting new businesses across the globe and in a variety of sectors. The pandemic has focused David’s passion for using his experience and partnership networks to drive the green recovery – starting in his local community in Hampshire.
David, tell us three things about yourself:
1. I am a Cumbrian who fell in love with Hampshire at an early age when visiting my grandparents and indulging my passion for cycling. I remember clearly stating a a desire to settle in the area around Stockbridge and buy a house by the Test. Thirty years later I did just that – although the journey via London, Shropshire, Scotland and Germany could have been more direct! An early example of setting ambitious goals and making them reality.
2. When not running Local Zero, I love to tread the boards with Andover Musical Theatre Company and their touring Cabaret. I met Denise on stage and our thespian genes are alive and well in our two talented daughters. There’s a lot of musical theatre singing to be heard around Local Zero’s order processing office!
3. As a Parish Councillor, school governor and Chair of Test Valley Liberal Democrats, life is seldom dull but my number one aim is to make Local Zero a success and change shopping for good.
Why did you start Local Zero?
My wife, Denise had a great idea, and I wanted to make it happen. That’s how we roll!
Why do you feel Local Zero is important?
Why have we all fallen in love with food that comes from all over the world and is made to look pretty by treating it with chemicals and shoving it in plastic? I sometimes think the world has gone mad.
Now we know what damage this behaviour causes to our planet and can see that if we don’t change behaviours soon we will have ruined it for our children, I had to do something about it. Local change doesn’t have to be about Extinction Rebellion gluing their tongues to the Chantry Centre or about Greta Thunberg sailing a boat down the Itchen. Local Zero is about making it simple and fun for thousands of people to take a few steps each. We’ll easily remove 100,000 pieces of single-use plastic from the World in our first year. We’d be mad not to, wouldn’t we?
Tell us more about your role at Local Zero?
At a high level, it’s about imagining a different world and making that a reality – but that sounds a bit up myself! I steer the ship and know where we are going – and have absolutely no idea how we’re going to get there – but love facing hundreds of small challenges and learning something new every day.
You can get in touch with David by email david.hall@local-zero.co.uk
