President of UNICEF (UK)

David Puttnam was educated in London at Minchenden Grammar School. He completed his education through evening classes at City and Guilds, London. 

After ten years in the advertising industry, he spent the next 30 years as an independent film producer. His many award-winning films include The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and Memphis Belle. He was Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Pictures from 1986 to 1988 – the only non-American ever to run a Hollywood studio.

David retired from film production in 1998 to focus on his work in education. He was appointed Chancellor of the University of Sunderland from 1998, and moved on to become Chancellorship of the Open University in 2007. He was the founder (in 1998) and remains Chair of Trustees of the National Teaching Awards.

In addition to having served as the inaugral Chair of the General Teaching Council for England (2000–2002), he has also served on a variety of other public bodies. He was founding Chair of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, and for ten years chaired the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, having been a Trustee of both the Tate Gallery and the Science Museum.

He was Vice-President and Chair of Trustees at BAFTA from 1994 to 2004, and was awarded their Lifetime Fellowship in February 2006. In that same month he was appointed Deputy Chairman of Channel Four; and in April 2006 Chairman of Futurelab. In April 2007 he took on the role of Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee scrutinising the UK’s ‘Climate Change Bill’.

In July 2002, David was appointed President of UNICEF UK, and has played a key role in promoting UNICEF’s advocacy, awareness and fundraising objectives.   

In 2003, following a fact-finding mission to Cambodia, he launched UNICEF UK's End Child Exploitation campaign. He has also travelled to Bosnia, Nigeria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Vietnam and Laos to help raise awareness of issues that affect children, ranging from trafficking and conflict to child labour and the need for universal primary education, clean water and immunisation.  

In the UK he has been instrumental in helping to forge new partnerships with the film, music and property industries, and has spoken at numerous international events.

David was awarded a CBE in 1982, received a Knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1997. In France he has been honoured as a Chevalier (1985), Officer (1992) and, most recently (2006) Commander of Arts and Letters.