He was Chairman of Overseas Containers Limited, Vice-chairman of the Port of London Authority between 1967 and 1976, and a director of P&O for nearly a quarter of a century.
His brother David drowned in 1941, while serving in World War II; another brother, Edward, was an army officer and rose to the rank of major-general; of his two sisters, Katherine Grizel married a doctor and moved to the United States, and Jean Beatrice married the second Baron Morris.
During the war, he was seconded to the Government Headquarters in Delhi as the deputy director of Movements with responsibility for shipping with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
While he remained there till 1965, he took up extra posts in the meantime, becoming Chairman of the National Association of Port Employers (1958–65) and vice-chairman of the British Transport Docks Board (1963–68).
He was also vice-chairman of the Port of London Authority between 1967 and 1976, a member of the Baltic Exchange and an arbitrator for the Police Council of Great Britain.