He has a BA (Hons) and MA (Cantab) from Cambridge University, and an MSc in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University College London. From 1994-98, he was inaugural Natural Resource Economist at the UK Natural Environment Research Council Institute of Hydrology; from 1998-2005, he was with the international consultancy Environmental Resources Management, and from 2002, he was Managing Partner.

He worked at the World Economic Forum from 2006-2021. He joined as inaugural Director, Environmental Initiatives; from 2013-2018, he was head of Public Private Partnership and Member of the Executive Committee; and from 2018-2021, he was Head of Centre for Global Public Goods, with responsibility for World Economic Forum collaboration with the international community on delivering partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals.

His affiliations include Associate Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House); Visiting Scholar, Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment; Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute; Special Adviser, China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED); Trustee, The Clean Air Fund; Governing Board Member CGIAR International Water Management Institute (IWMI).