I was born in Rugby, England and educated at Eton College and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. At Cambridge I was heavily involved in party politics, serving for a term as Chairman of the Cambridge Tory Reform Group. This connection enabled me to work at Parliament during a summer vacation as a research assistant to the House of Commons Select Committee on Energy.
After graduating with BA Hons Geography I joined Metal Box as a management trainee and worked in Aintree, Liverpool for 18 months during one of the most turbulent times in British industrial history - the early days of the Thatcher revolution. The highlight for me was working as a volunteer for the Tory election campaign of 1983 when we unseated Shirley Williams as the Social Democratic MP for Crosby.
In January 1984 I joined an overland expedition from London to Nairobi, Kenya. Arriving in Johannesburg in September, I have lived in South Africa ever since (apart 2002-2004 which I spent mainly in the USA). My career has included spells in publishing, multimedia communications, marketing, e-commerce, property sales, product distribution and event management. I joined Adele Lucas Promotions in 2005 as Sales Director and was appointed Managing Director in 2010 after the sudden death of founder, Adele Lucas.
In May 2014 I was elected Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance and in June 2014 appointed Shadow Minister of Small Business Development. I held these positions until the election in May 2019 when I returned to the private sector.
I live in Johannesburg and am married to Diana Lucas, an award-winning TV producer and director, well known for her 30-year contribution to the weekly Carte Blanche actually programme.
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