Houston; Washington, D.C.
Working closely with Orrick’s lawyers, David helps organizations align communications, governance and stakeholder engagement with legal and business strategy so they can manage risk, maintain their license to operate and continue to pursue growth and transformation. His work frequently involves situations where legal proceedings, regulatory scrutiny and public perception simultaneously shape an organization’s strategic trajectory.
David regularly advises leadership teams during high-stakes situations including congressional inquiries, government investigations, cybersecurity incidents, strategic transformations, major corporate events, litigation and periods of heightened public scrutiny. In these environments he helps organizations align legal and reputational risk management, public policy engagement, stakeholder relationships and communications so institutions can navigate complex disputes and regulatory environments while maintaining credibility with regulators, policymakers, investors, customers and employees.
Throughout his career, David has consistently used communications, marketing and public affairs as strategic tools to solve business problems and support market growth. His work has included preparing executives for congressional hearings, guiding companies through government investigations, responding to cybersecurity and data privacy incidents, managing global product and safety events, executing mergers and divestitures and supporting large-scale organizational transformations.
Before joining Orrick, David served as Chief Marketing Officer at SonicWall, where he rebuilt the company’s global marketing, communications and government relations capabilities and strengthened its market positioning in the cybersecurity sector. He previously served as Chief Communications Officer at PNC Financial Services, where he modernized the company’s communications function and aligned it more closely with business strategy and growth.
Earlier in his career, David led communications for the credit card business at JPMorgan Chase, supporting several of the industry’s most visible product launches and partnerships, and served as Head of Global Communications at Nortel Networks.
Prior to his corporate leadership roles, David advised multinational organizations on corporate strategy, regulatory environments and institutional risk. He helped launch and lead the global Data Security & Privacy practice at Edelman, served as general manager of the firm’s Dallas and Shanghai offices and led global advisory work across cybersecurity, financial services and corporate special situations. He also served as North American head of the Issues & Crisis Management practice at MSL Group.
David is a regular commentator on business, technology and public policy issues, with appearances on CNN, ABC and PBS and commentary published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and Forbes.
His work has been recognized with numerous industry honors, including PRWeek’s Global Power Book, PRWeek 40 Under 40 and leadership of PRWeek’s inaugural Corporate Public Relations Team of the Year.
David lives in the Dallas–Fort Worth area with his wife and family. Outside of work he enjoys cycling, music and spending time with his children.