David Melville is Chair of the Kent Surrey and Sussex NHS Postgraduate Deanery. From 2001 to 2007 he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent.

Previously he was Chief Executive of the Further Education Funding Council and Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University. He was a member of the Tomlinson 14-19 Review, the Foundation Degree Task Force and the Foster Review of the Future of Further Education Colleges.

He has been the Government Thames Gateway Skills Envoy, Chair of Lifelong Learning UK, the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the Learning and Skills Council in Kent and Medway, the University Vocational Awards Council and Higher Education South East, and a board member of the ifs School of Finance, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, The Place and the Council for Industry and Higher Education.

He is currently a board member of Pearson Education Ltd, the Network for Black Professionals, K College of FE and London South Bank University and is patron of the 157 Group, Comprehensive Future, the Disabled Sailors Association and the Thames Gateway Young Chamber. He was educated at Sheffield and Columbia Universities.