David Halpern CBE
Biography
David Halpern joined the Board of the Competition and Markets Authority as non-executive director in April 2026.
David Halpern CBE is a leading behavioural scientist and public policy expert, educated at Cambridge, with a background spanning academia and senior government roles. David was the founder and long‑standing CEO of the Behavioural Insights Team, which he led from its creation in government to global influence, and, having now largely stepped away, continues to serve as its President‑Emeritus. His current main role is as Director of the new Downing Battcock Institute at Cambridge.
He previously served as Chief Analyst in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and as the UK’s What Works National Adviser. Appointed CBE in 2023, he is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, a Visiting Professor at King’s College London, and the author of several influential works on behavioural science and public policy.
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Directors of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Board play an important role in setting up the organisation, working with the chair and chief executive.
As board members, they are also responsible for:
- setting the organisation’s strategic direction and policy framework
- developing priorities
- monitoring performance against its objectives
- making decisions on Market Investigation References