David Gainsford is the senior New South Wales public servant responsible for the assessment of major projects in NSW. As Deputy Secretary, Development Assessment and Sustainability, David leads how the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure uses environmental impact assessment to inform land use decisions.

David started his professional journey in environmental research and consulting, before leading environmental assessments for major public infrastructure, including within Transport for NSW. In 2015 David joined the Department of Planning, leading assessments of transport infrastructure. In 2022, he became Deputy Secretary with broad responsibility across all major project development proposals across NSW.