David MacLeod is a National Party Member of Parliament [47][52], representing the New Plymouth electorate according to a secondary source profile [46].
MacLeod attended Hawera High School before going on to obtain a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA, according to a single reputable secondary source [37][36][38]. He is described in the same source as having trained as an electrician earlier in his career [4]. He subsequently held senior roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is reported to have worked as a chartered accountant [9][2], and holds membership of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand [18].
According to a single reputable secondary source, MacLeod served as a councillor on the Taranaki Regional Council from 2000 [45], and was first elected Chairman of that council in 2007 [43], a role he is also reported to have held from 2016 [42][41][44]. He is described as a long-term serving local council member in New Zealand [17]. He also reportedly served as an employee of the Taranaki Regional Council [5], held the South Taranaki Constituency representative seat [15], served as Chair of the Environment Committee [40], was an ex officio member of the Policy and Planning Committee [13], a national councillor of Local Government New Zealand [21], and an Alternate Member of the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group [10].
In the private sector, MacLeod is reported to have served as a director of Fonterra Co-Operative Group [26][27] and is described as the first Māori director of Fonterra, according to a single reputable secondary source [6]. He is also noted as having been Chief Financial Officer of Fonterra in the same source [1]. He reportedly served on Fonterra's Audit and Finance Committee and Board Governance Committee [19][20]. According to a single reputable secondary source, he has held directorships at DairyNZ [24][25], Port Taranaki [30][11], Silver Fern Farms (as Chair) [33][34], Predator Free 2050 (from 30 November 2016, and as Chair) [32][39], the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge [23], Parininihi ki Waitotara (PKW) [28][29], and A.J. Greaves Electrical Limited (from 2024) [22]. He is also reported to have been part owner and director of a multi-disciplined trades company [7] and to work as a professional director [8].
MacLeod is reported to have iwi connections to Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāi Ruanui, Ngāi Tahu, and Ngāti Porua [14]. He is noted as a Trustee of PKW Trust and a Committee of Management member for Parininihi ki Waitotara [16][12]. He holds a Chartered Member designation from the Institute of Directors (CMInstD), according to a single reputable secondary source [50]. MacLeod entered Parliament as an Ordinary MP from 2023 [49] and has been reported as a member of the Finance and Expenditure Committee [48].