Keith is a Chemistry graduate and postgraduate from Heriot-Watt and Hamburg Universities, and an Honorary Fellow of Energy Policy at the University of Exeter. Following 8 years at BDF, a chemical company in Germany, Keith returned to Scotland and led a contract research business at IRI before working 20 years at energy utility SSE.  He has worked in a broad range of roles in the energy industry and was also responsible for starting-up and running SSE’s telecoms business.  For 10 years Keith was SSEs Policy and Research Director.

Keith has acted as an advisor on energy policy to both the UK and Scottish Governments and has been involved in many industry advisory and working groups.  He is currently Chair of the Energy Research Partnership and was recently appointed Chair of UKERC's Advisory Board.  He has been a director of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy and its successor, Energy UK, as well as Scottish Renewables, the Micropower Council, BWEA and EWEA. Keith is founding director of Providence Policy where he works as an independent energy advisor.