Hugh has lived in the UAE since 2018; in 2025 he took up the newly created role of Managing Partner MENA for the executive search firm Anderson Quigly, leading their first international office.

He graduated BA (Hons) and MA (Hons) in English Language & Literature from the University of Oxford and MLitt in Creative Writing (with Distinction) from the University of St Andrews. His PhD research is in rhetoric and writing.

Hugh worked in Higher Education senior management for over 20 years, including as Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at the Asian University for Women, Registrar and Chief Administrative Officer at The British University in Dubai; University Secretary at the University of Bedfordshire; Chief of Staff at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); Head of Governance at the University of Bristol; and various executive roles at the University of St Andrews.

As an academic, Hugh held the post of Associate Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at The Open University for 15 years.

Before working in universities, he held various management positions for the retailer W H Smith Ltd, becoming their Head of Customer Relations in 1996.

Hugh is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Educators, and a Senior Advisor at the Halpin Partnership. Past appointments include being a non-Executive Director of a US/Zimbabwean charity, a school governor, and the Chair of the Academy Council at a UK secondary school.

He is a mentor to Oxbridge candidates in the UAE and to current students at the University of Oxford and the University of St Andrews.

Hugh is a TEDx speaker and a judge for the QS Reimagine Education Awards. He is frequently invited to speak at international conferences and panels including the Times Higher Education, QS MAPLE, EduTech, and Bett MEA.