Born in Cardiff, Rhys David has an M.A. degree in Lit. Hum. from the University of Oxford. He began his career in journalism at the Western Mail, Cardiff where he held the posts successively of Chief Leader Writer, Industrial Editor, and Welsh Affairs Editor. He subsequently spent 30 years at the Financial Times, holding senior writing and editing posts across UK and international business sectors. During his employment at the FT he also spent three years as managing director and publisher of Business Magazine, a joint subsidiary of the FT and Conde Nast, and was a BP press fellow at Wolfson College, Cambridge in 1986. On leaving the FT he worked for six years as assistant director of the Institute of Welsh Affairs in Cardiff where he is an Honorary Fellow. He has published extensively on regional economic issues, and especially Wales, and is the author of Tell Mum not to Worry, an account of the 53rd (Welsh) Division’s campaigns in the Near East in World War One. He has been a fellow of the RSA since 1986. He was a member of the Wales Independence Commission which reported in September 2020.