Ian has worked in the public services area for more than two decades in a number of roles: trade union officer, senior local government officer, think-tank director, board director of two specialist public service provider companies and now the co-founder of a specialist consultancy, Gradus, which specializes in supporting health, social care and local authority sectors in their delivery of commissioning.

He is a founding member of the Institute of Social Commissioning which encourages the formation of social enterprises to deliver GP consortium commissioning.

Throughout his career he has developed a personal reputation for innovation and thought-leadership through personal recognition by the then Prime Minister for delivering Excellence in Schools (through PFI); numerous publications and conference presentations; precipitating public sector change on shared services, competitive neutrality and commissioning strategy (as part of the CBI) and leading a team that won the LGC Green Initiatives award.
He was co-Chair of the CBI/Local Government Association group on economic development, Chair of the CBI/DTI group on the Discrimination Law Review and Chair of the Business Services Association Local Government Group. He is currently Chair of Signpost Housing Association and a member of the Governance Committee of Spectrum Housing Group.

He was a member of the social housing sub-Group that contributed to the Conservatives’ 2007 review, ‘Restoring Pride in our Public Services’; a key member of the successful 2008 lobby to change the direction of social housing regulation in England; the Specialist Advisor on the Strategic Commissioning theme to the government's Beacon Council scheme and advises the Strategic Commissioning Beacon Councils. He delivered masterclassess on de-commissioning for CIPFA as a part of their Third Sector Commissioning Development Programme during 2010.