Following a PhD in African History at Cambridge University, he joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1982 and served in Brussels, Washington, Tanzania and latterly as British High Commissioner to Ghana and Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger (2008-2011).

In the FCO, London, he dealt with a wide range of issues including the EU, the Maastricht treaty negotiations, the Elgin Marbles, international economic issues including G8 summits, and for 5 years was the FCO’s Chief Information Officer. From 2011-2017 he worked at the European Union in Brussels, firstly as Managing Director for Africa and then as MD for the Middle East and North Africa in the EU’s External Action Service. 

He is author of the book Imperialism and Development: the East African Groundnut Scheme and its legacy (James Currey, 2020), serves on the Editorial Board of African Affairs, is a member of Chatham House and the Royal Geographical Society.