David was born on 28th March 1945, the second son of Sir Kirby Laing, the elder son of Sir John Laing, who founded the John Laing Construction Company in its modern form, establishing the main centre of the business in North London whilst still retaining important ties to the original base in Carlisle.
He is and has been a trustee for both local and national charities; County Chair of St John Ambulance in Hertfordshire and also Northamptonshire.
He was Chair and now Patron of the Northamptonshire Community Foundation providing much needed support to grassroots charities and groups. He is also a patron of the Hope Centre. He is President of St Andrew’s Hospital the country’s leading mental healthcare hospital, and chaired the Pension Fund, and was a trustee of Grove House Hospice.
He was a trustee of the Youth Sports Trust, and is on the board of the National Hockey Foundation and the Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs (President), reflecting his interest in supporting young people particularly through sport and activity. David was a trustee of the Education Fellowship Foundation, a group of rapidly growing academies and a trustee of the United Church Schools Trust. He is chair of the charity ‘Adrenaline Alley’, Europe’s largest indoor skate park and was on the board of the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership. He is President of the London University Hockey Club. He chairs the Sir Kirby Laing Foundation, a major grant giving charity, and the David Laing Foundation.
Married in 1968 to Mary, they have five children (four sons and a daughter) and at last count, nine grandchildren.