Dave Simmonds OBE is the co-founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion. He has been involved at the national level in social and labour market policy for the past 30 years.

Dave worked at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations in the 1980s heading up the voluntary sectors response to unemployment. In the 1990s, he helped establish the National Lottery Charities Board as the first England Director and then went on to set up Inclusion.

Since then he has built it to be one of the leading independent research organisations on welfare, skills and employment policy and practice. He has been a special adviser to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, an advisor to the OECD, and has advised successive governments on policies for the unemployed.

Dave was awarded an OBE in the 2005 honours list for his work on unemployment.