Originally studied archaeology at Edinburgh University and completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge investigating strategic management within heritage organisations. He has worked for 6 Universities in Scotland and England mainly in Business School settings researching and teaching heritage management and interpretation, cultural heritage policy development, conservation and tourism management.

He joined Heriot-Watt University in 2016 where he is Professor of Historic Environment Management in the School of Social Sciences and Edinburgh Business School. He is Vice-Chair and Treasurer of the Built Environment Forum Scotland (BEFS) – the national representative body for heritage NGOs in Scotland and chairs its Historic Environment Working Group. Over the period of Covid-19 he chaired the national Covid-19 Historic Environment Resilience Forum (CHERF) on behalf of the sector. He’s a member of the Institute for Historic Building Conservation’s Education, Training & Standards Committee. He is also a long-standing Affiliated Scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of the RSA, the Society of Antiquaries of London and Practitioner of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.

He is committed to supporting management and capacity development within the sector enabling strategic, tactical and operational opportunities for heritage organisations, as well as building opportunities for different stakeholders, communities and visitors to engage with and look after heritage in all its forms.