David Pownall

As of July 2025, David is VP Power Systems and Safety UK & Ireland, having joined Schneider Electric as VP Services & Safety UK & Ireland in 2019. During those six years, he successfully drove the growth of the Services business, implemented a new service model, and enhanced employee engagement.

Having invested £50 million since 2023 in manufacturing in Leeds and Scarborough, the Power Systems business unit will continue, under David’s leadership, to manufacture several components necessary for the UK & Ireland’s net-zero transition. These UK-manufactured products are vital to the security and reliability of the zone’s current and future electricity networks which are key to enabling the new electricity generation, storage, and interconnection infrastructure that are needed to meet the rapid increase in electricity demand. This includes the infrastructure behind charging electric vehicles.

With a wealth of international experience, spanning Japan and North America as well as the UK, David believes that cutting-edge technology on its own is not enough to solve the industry’s biggest challenges. It is a combination of data-driven insights, innovative applications, digital services and consultative partnerships that will enable the next level of resilience, agility and sustainability in industry, infrastructure and buildings. David serves as a trustee of the Electrical Industries Charity and sits on the Board of Schneider Electric UK.

Having previously headed up EMEA customer support and maintenance delivery at Rockwell Automation, David brings a wealth of experience in delivering customer value and improving business performance in industrial settings. Prior to this, David also held positions in the Services departments of ABB Robotics UK and MOTOMAN Robotics.

Connect with David on LinkedIn.