Born in Cardiff and raised in Bridgend, Wales, David has always had an interest in “making and designing things”. His grandfather Edward Beard, a retired Master Builder, always encouraged and helped David to make things from birdhouses to go-carts in his well equipped tool shed.

This interest developed during David's education at Brynteg Comprehensive school. Here David took both the GCSE and A-level Design and Technology. Other opportunities offered, such as the Engineering Education Scheme in Wales (EESW), where the project titled “Pro Pro F W” prototyping products from waste furthered knowledge into the design and engineering world.

In the summer of 2003, age 18, David linked up with audio visual firm BlackBox AV, utilising their “U-Turn” product as the technology within a stainable educational learning aid. The project entitled “Turn ‘N’ Learn” was evaluated by Techniquest head Rob White and selected to be displayed in the Welsh A-Level Design Awards. On completion of his A-Levels David chose Middlesex University to further his studies in a BSc Engineering Product Design course. Within his first year at University David won a live project competition with TNG. The project brief was to design a promotional gift for TNG. The winning design was an origami balancing bird, for which David received a cash prize and public recognition. In his second year the success continued in a robotics project called Eurobot. David led “The Etalian Job” team to becoming the UK Eurobot Champions and steered the team to the World Finals in Sicily achieving a respectable 37 place out of the 62 teams entered.

David’s degree course offered a placement year option as the third year. David secured a placement with a newly formed e-learning department; Advance365. The main achievement whilst on placement was the successful creation and launch of a customer service NVQ, suitable for the training requirements of a government training contract.

The final year of University as predicted was hard work, but all seemed to pay off.... Firstly the dissertation. David worked closely with Wimbledon lawn tennis museum to assemble a dissertation titled: "An overview of tennis racket technology and the affect it has had on the game." For his final project David teamed up with New Zealand based field hockey goalkeeping manufacturer OBO. The project incorporated a range of 5 goalkeeping training products and received intense testing from Spartan International coaches, and two current England U-21 goalkeepers. The project was displayed at the Product Designers market, New Designers and featured by many hockey blog's. Based on the feedback received David secured a deal with OBO to commercialise several of the products designed.

Between graduating and awaiting the flight to New Zealand David worked part time and short term contract work ranging from Middlesex University kids camp to Limelight Sports marketing with some occasional freelance work thrown into the mix.

Roll on New Zealand for the next chapter of his autobiography ...