David Steel

Global safety science leader Underwriters Laboratories Inc. today announced the appointment of Dr. David Steel as the first executive director of the newly formed Standards and Engagement organization.

Steel will lead Underwriters Laboratories Standards and Engagement activities, including its ongoing development of safety standards. Working with the board of directors and leadership team, Steel will establish a comprehensive strategic vision and operating plan that incorporates the organization’s expanded advocacy mission. In this role, he also will guide the organization’s efforts to develop policy partnerships and campaigns focused on improving human health and safety.

Underwriters Laboratories announced the establishment of the Standards and Engagement organization in February 2022 as part of a new $1.8 billion commitment to address increasingly complex public safety risks and strengthen the impact of its safety science mission. Steel’s selection came after a robust global search for the leader of this new organization.

Steel spent more than two decades in senior roles at Samsung Electronics, most recently as executive vice president and head of corporate affairs for the United States. Other Samsung roles he has held include head of global communications and vice president of global marketing for the digital media business.

Steel holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Oxford University, where he graduated with first-class honors; a doctorate in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and an MBA from University of Chicago. He also spent a year as an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University.