I am from a town called West Lothian in Scotland. I studied Music and qualified as a teacher in Glasgow and Dundee. I subsequently completed an MBA in Education from the University of Keele.

With the exception of two years in Arbroath and Montrose, Scotland, my whole career has been in international education. My first overseas post, in Kuwait, lasted 10 years and included the invasion and Gulf War, and five years as a Deputy Principal. I subsequently taught in Bahrain, Hong Kong and Thailand. This will be my 21st year in the Gulf.

My wife, Bernadette, and I have four children. the oldest qualified with MEng (Hons) and is presently working for an aerospace consultancy in the UK; the second is also in the UK and is currently undertaking a Law degree at Bristol University; our third son has just started university and our daughter is completing her A-Levels.

I am a very keen traveler. Football is my main sporting interest, as a spectator these days. I love teaching and feel lucky to have a career that I enjoy and which offers so many opportunities to work with enthusiastic and motivated people.

My aim at Oryx is to continue to establish a culture of achievement in Secondary School and to enhance the good work already undertaken. I see Oryx International School as being at a unique and positive moment of its development and I am honoured to have the opportunity to shape the culture of the school and establish its trajectory.