He moved to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 1954 as a pharmaceutical chemist in the Bulk Medical Store and soon after established PNG's first electrical retail outlet.
The Brian Bell Group of Companies is the largest business of its kind in PNG, generating revenue of 253 million Kina annually and employing 1300 staff.
He was at one time chairman of UPNG Foundation, the NCD South Pacific Festival of Arts and the Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal.
He set up a school outside Port Moresby, helped in offering scholarships and funded many needy and deserving young Papua New Guineans.
Bell was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his contributions to business and charity in Papua New Guinea's 1993 New Year's Day Honours List.