Our tribute to David Knowles-Leak

Marlow FM is mourning the loss of founder member David Knowles-Leak, who recently lost his battle with Covid-19. He came to us more than a decade ago through his connections with local Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses.

He initially signed up to present just a month’s worth of business shows, but stayed to help build the station into what it has become today. Our business programming in particular will miss his intelligence, wit, and depth of knowledge, alongside his love of Willie Nelson songs, which he liked to play.

He was a wise and interesting man with strong, but valuable opinions on many subjects, and a popular professional public speaker and mentor. During his talks, David shared his decision-making psychology advice and ideas based on his own research, his work with managers, directors, and chief executives, and his extensive corporate experience in the UK and overseas.

He was proud to be director of the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership for nearly seven years, and to be involved in the management of the Federation of Small Businesses lobbying group at regional and national level. He also had associations with colleges, schools, and charities in the Thames Valley and beyond. He was chairman of the Labour Party in Maidenhead.

Recently, he was writing a book about his desire to improve decision-making at director level, and he enjoyed promoting the interests of business on his Marlow FM show.

His love for radio and his lifelong involvement in the politics of education went back to his days at Nottingham University, where he studied for a degree in Theoretical Mechanics. We believe this is when he was first bitten by the radio bug.

We will miss David. Our thoughts and love go out to his family and other friends.