David Smith

Non-Executive Director | IoD Diploma (Distinction) | €200m+ Sales | €125m+ Funding | $400m+ M&A | US–EMEA | Independent Director | Technology & Scaling

Ireland

About

€200m+ in sales, €125m+ in funding, $400m+ in M&A. Eleven years in Silicon Valley. Boards and CEOs bring me in on the commercial and governance questions where the answer isn't obvious and the cost of getting it wrong is significant. Recipient of the Huawei President's Consulting Award 2026. Eleven years in Silicon Valley with the relationships that only come from having been in the market, not visiting it. IoD Ireland Diploma in Company Direction with Distinction. Director of MarketLink International and Tirna Partners. Formal committee roles: IDA Ireland representative on An Taoiseach's Insurance Working Group; Department of Finance Tax Certification Advisory Committee; DIMA Marketing Sub-Committee Chair. Actively tracking EU AI Act Article 4, NIS2 Article 20, and the Irish Corporate Governance Code 2024. 400+ companies across 20+ countries. Named exits include acquisitions by Cisco, Expedia, Criteo and Royal Mail. 100% Investment Committee approval record at Enterprise Ireland across 130+ portfolio companies. Target companies: technology companies and scaling businesses approaching a capital raise or exit with US or EMEA ambitions. Open to NED mandates alongside active consulting work. Reach me at [email protected]

Experience

  • Director & Principal at MarketLink International
    Jul 2012 - Present · 14 yrs

    Independent board and executive advisory practice run concurrently throughout career: strategy, governance, international growth, institutional funding and M&A. Early-stage through to exit. As Director, accountable for strategic direction, commercial performance, firm oversight and board effectiveness. Over my career I have advised on: 400+ clients across 20+ countries €200m+ in sales €125m+ in funding $400m+ in M&A transaction value Clients include Cubic Telecom, FeedHenry, A&L Goodbody and TMF Group.

  • Senior Consulting Partner, Client Engagement, Huawei Ireland (SPO Lab) at Huawei
    May 2020 - Present · 6 yrs 2 mos

    Engaged at Chief Business Officer and Chief Strategy Officer level with global telecoms operators across EMEA and APAC. Converted digital transformation strategy into board-level revenue and contract wins. Built business cases across manufacturing, healthcare, ports, mining, oil and gas, supply chain and education Built and managed partnerships across AI, IoT, security and 5G private networks Commercial ROI model adopted by Tier-1 carriers across three continents $47m+ in sales across European, African and Asian markets Designed RCS monetisation strategy for a Tier-1 global telco Keynote speaker: Petronas Oil & Gas Summit (Kuala Lumpur), Holomedicine Summit Singapore, GSMA forums. Recipient: Huawei President's Consulting Award 2026 Consulting engagement — capacity maintained for NED and board mandates.

  • Executive Committee Member, 137th Balally Scout Group at Scouting Ireland
    2019 - 2023 · 4 yrs

    Executive Committee Member, 137th Balally Scout Group Served on the governing body; oversight of finance and compliance in a not-for-profit setting.

  • Advisory Board Member at Sure Valley Ventures
    Jun 2020 - Jun 2022 · 2 yrs 1 mo

    Sure Valley Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in AI, AR/VR, IoT and cybersecurity. 30+ portfolio companies. • Challenged portfolio founders at board level on strategy, governance and institutional funding • Advised on AI governance, EU AI Act Article 4 director obligations and board formation • Supported market entry and go-to-market planning across 30+ portfolio companies

  • CEO, EMEA at Mobile Workforce Europe
    Nov 2019 - Apr 2020 · 6 mos

    Mobile Workforce is a US-based healthtech company tracking physical assets and people in hospitals and care homes. First European hire. Accountable to the US board for legal entity establishment, regulatory compliance and EU expansion strategy. • Secured board approval for the EU business plan and expansion budget • Established EU legal entities • Appointed country heads for Germany and Italy • Led EMEA sales to hospitals, OEMs and integrators