About
David Roth
CEO, The Store WPP · Chairman, WPP BAV
David Roth began his career at the House of Commons working for a member of the UK Parliament before swapping politics for the cut and thrust of advertising. At Bates Dorland he became Main Board Director for Strategy and Managing Director of the consulting and digital divisions, and CEO of the worldwide retail and technology centre of excellence.
He joined Kingfisher’s B&Q plc, one of Europe’s largest retailers, sitting on the main board of directors as UK and International Marketing Director, and was part of the management team that led B&Q’s international expansion into Eastern Europe and Asia, including China, where he lived in Shanghai. Whilst at Kingfisher, David was also CEO of Kingfisher Challenges, running the world-record sponsorship of Ellen MacArthur’s successful bid for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe.
Today David is CEO of The Store at WPP and Chairman of BAV. He is a leading authority on digital, robotics and Artificial Intelligence in retail.
China & Asia
David Roth is a recognised authority on branding, consumer behaviour in China and retail innovation. He has advised numerous global companies and governments on their China-related strategies, and was the creator of BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands, the definitive annual ranking of China’s most valuable brands. His expertise stems from hands-on experience as part of the team that led B&Q’s international expansion into Asia, including time living in Shanghai, and from his ongoing work helping brands navigate China’s rapidly changing landscape.
Documentary Films
David is the author and presenter of a series of documentary films on “Changing China”, and is the creator and narrator of one of the most-watched documentaries on the rise of Chinese e-commerce.
- Changing China · a documentary film series exploring the cultural, commercial and societal forces reshaping modern China.
- China History · “To understand the future, you have to understand the past.” A long-form look at the historical arc that produced today’s China.
- Open Sesame: The Birth and Rise of Alibaba · how Jack Ma and Alibaba transformed Chinese commerce, and the world.
- A Haier Order · tracks the rise of Haier, founded in Qingdao, China in 1984, to become and remain for over a decade the world’s number-one major appliance brand.
Architect of AI Tools
David is the creator and architect of a number of revolutionary Agentic AI digital tools, including:
- The Cultural Reflex System · combining brand data with cultural trending moments to give marketers real-time signal on what’s resonating, and why. Technology partner: Erik Bernskiöld. In association with Sightly Social.
- AURA · the first tool in the world that empowers you to understand how the LLMs are viewing your brand versus humans, and the value loss or value creation that gap produces. Technology partner: Erik Bernskiöld.
Books & Studies
- The History of Retail in 100 Objects, and the 2025 fourth edition, The History of Retail in 101 Objects, the World Retail Hall of Fame Edition
- The Third Era of Digital Retailing
- Smart Shopping: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming the Retail Conversation
- Retailing to the Customer of One: How mass customisation and IoT make the personal possible and profitable
- The Thoughts of Chairmen Now: Wisdom and Insights from China’s Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
- The China Dream
- LOOK: A Book of Changes
- Brand Stories, his latest book, celebrating the enduring power of iconic brands
Speaking & Lecturing
David broadcasts and lectures around the world, including at the World Economic Forum (Davos), the BBC, CCTV China and CNBC, and at Yale, CKGSB and Cambridge universities.
Boards & Advisory Roles
David is Chairman of Honeycomb AI, a think tank on AI in retail; Chairman of the Advisory Board of The Robotics Practice; and a Non-Executive Director of Smollan, the global agency that delivers solutions helping brands and retailers win across the physical and digital retail landscape.
He is also a board member of the China-Britain Business Council, a former non-executive director of the NGO TFT (dedicated to sustainable production), and the past Chairman of the Centre for International Business and Management (CIBAM), where academics, business and policymakers meet for activities at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge.
Beyond the Boardroom
Away from the day job, David is a hobby beekeeper, hosts a podcast titled Guess Who’s Coming to Seder, and is a self-taught photographer whose stated ambition is to graduate, one day, from OK to good. He also cures and smokes salmon on the banks of the River Pinn, to a slow-evolved smoking blend that he insists is almost ready.