 He is chief executive of a Gateshead-based company and was chairman of the Port of Tyne until August 2012.From 1995 to January 2009, he was the executive chairman of UK Land Estates and prior to that was executive deputy chairman of the Teesside-based Livingston Group and an executive director of its associate company Fairfield Industries.From 1996 until 2000, he was chairman of the public policy company, Prima Europe, and then chairman of its successor, GPC, after Prima was acquired by Omnicom.