Former Citizens Advice chief executive David Harker dies aged 64

Former Citizens Advice chief executive David Harker died aged 64 on Monday after a short illness.

Harker was a founding associate of think tank Civil Exchange, and his career in the sector included roles as chief executive of Citizens Advice, the national body for Citizens Advice Bureaux, and as managing director of national disability charity Sense.

More recently Harker had held non-executive roles at the Financial Conduct Authority, Ofgem, and the Advertising Standards Authority. In July last year he became the chair of the Pensions Advisory Service.

Leading Citizens Advice between 1997 and 2010, Harker was credited with helping improve advice by gaining funding to connect the network electronically to a national database and providing web-based information. Harker sat on many Ministerial and strategy groups while at the charity, including the NHS Modernisation Board and the Cabinet Office’s Delivery Council.

Harker’s time at Sense, formerly the National Deafblind and Rubella Association, saw the organisation grow eightfold and transform from a former self-help group into a world leader in its field, operating both as a service provider and advocate.

In 2011 Harker joined with Caroline Slocock and others to found Civil Exchange, a think tank committed to helping the government work better with civil society. He was a co-author of the Big Society Audits, which helped signpost how that might be achieved.

He was born in Darlington, County Durham. He graduated from the University of East Anglia in Social Policy, followed by an MA at Essex. Later in life, he took an MBA at the London Business School. Harker was made an OBE in 2003, a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute in 2009, and a CBE in 2010.

He is survived by a wife Diane Summers and son Alex.