Professor Davis previously taught social sciences at Oxford (where he held a Fellowship), at Cambridge and at a number of business schools, where his mid-career students included mayoral candidates in major Southeast Asian cities, advisors to Presidential candidates in the Global South, leaders in the refugee and UN sectors and those now in the leadership of tech and other private sector firms as well as of major religious and diaspora communities. He has advised at the UK cabinet level.
His research has been debated by parliament and has been described as ‘formidable’ and ‘ground breaking’ by the Conservative and Labour frontbenches and ‘fascinating and important’ and ‘remarkable’ by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Heavily involved in entrepreneurial, cross neighbourhood inter-religious and mainstream collaborations around poverty reduction and enterprise, he co- chaired the Mayor of West Midlands Faith and Cohesion steering group and regional summit.
A successful social entrepreneur and journalist on social innovation he has invented, founded or co-founded over forty social ventures addressing pressing social challenges attracting millions in investment and revenues, creating hundreds of jobs and supporting thousands of clients.
His media contributions include work for BBC World, BBC 1 TV, BBC Radio 4 The World Tonight, Straits Times, US Public Radio, Al Jazeera, TRT, and The Economist.
A Zambian by birth with long standing interests in Southern Africa, he has served on commissions and projects of the Erste Bank Foundation, Mercy Corps International, Caritas International, the Buncher Inter-Faith Conference and focused on disability and mental health inclusion.