Jenkins was born in Blackburn,[1] grew up in Stoke-on-Trent,[2] and was educated at Malbank School and Sixth Form College.

[1][4] Jenkins began his career in finance at Barclays as a graduate in 1983, but subsequently moved to Citigroup where he was promoted to lead the company's branded credit card business.

[7] On 8 July 2015 it was announced that he had been sacked by Barclays after a dispute with the board over the size of the investment bank and the pace of cost cutting.

[17] In June 2016 he was appointed shadow chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, prior to its formal operational start in 2017.

[18] Jenkins was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to business in his role as chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.