David Colgate

I help clients turn big ideas into real behaviour change, shifting culture, performance, and shaping how people show up every day.

When I think about my most memorable moments at NKD, it’s often the first and the last. The first is that early spark, when a complex challenge suddenly becomes a clear, human story everyone can get behind. The last is seeing it land in the real world, when people start connecting differently, and you can feel the shift.

My experience

Most of my work sits around culture, leadership, behaviour change and making strategy feel clear, human, and relevant so it shows up in how people work every day.

Before NKD, I trained as a primary school teacher, which is where I learned how to win the attention of distracted learners. I then experienced first-hand what “good” and “bad” feels like in demanding frontline service and leadership roles, and how powerful work can be when it’s led with empathy, trust, and humility.

That mix shapes how I show up now. I listen intently, simplify the complex, and try to bring a bit of curiosity and playfulness into serious challenges. I’m at my best when I’m helping clients see things differently and then turning that into something practical they can actually use.

Ultimately, I’m focused on making change stick, so it becomes part of how people work, not something they’ve been told to do.

Projects I’ve worked on

I’ve worked on a range of transformation programmes – from airlines to auction houses, customer services to financial services – helping bring strategy to life through culture, leadership, and everyday experience. My role has ranged from shaping the core narrative and design direction through to building immersive learning experiences and tools people use to make their world of work better. I stick with it as it lands, helping clients test, adapt, and keep nudging things forward until the change starts to take on a life of its own.

I’ve also written some NKD blogs on fostering innovation and The Human Change Paradox, check them out.