I went to school at Fortrose Academy on the Black Isle, and in the mid-1990s left The University of Edinburgh with a degree in biochemistry.

In I created the Scottish and Celtic music specialist retail website Music Scotland. I ran this business as owner-manager from locations in Edinburgh, Stirling and the Isle of Mull. In the business won the Scots Trad Music Awards Services To Industry Award. In it was sold as a going concern to another Scottish music store, Oban Music, and still trades today. Music Scotland has sent CDs, DVDs and books to tens of thousands of customers worldwide, most of this music created by Scottish artists.

During the 2000s I was also working as a musician, performing internationally with Salsa Celtica and other bands, and teaching Scottish traditional music with the Gaelic cultural organisation Feisean Nan Gaidheal.

In 2008 I converted the music shop I was running in Tobermory into a self catering holiday property - Back Brae Lodge - until this was closed in October 2023. Over those years, the house accommodated hundreds of guests visiting the Isle of Mull.

Between and I worked freelance as a web designer and developer, creating and/or supporting an operational web presence for a wide range of small business clients. These included record companies and other online retailers, accommodation providers, agricultural suppliers and medical-scientific organisations.

Between and I was part of the web team at the University of the Highlands and Islands, working on the content management system, supporting users and developing the front end of the site.

In August 2022 I took up the post of Web Manager with the NHS Highland Communications and Engagement team.