His father was an engineer and tobacco executive, and the family relocated often, including to Libya, Jordan, Tanzania and Malaysia.
In 1977, he won a scholarship to study English Language and Literature at Exeter College, Oxford matriculating in 1978 and graduating with a First Class Honours degree in 1981.
[4][6] From 2003 to 2006 he worked for insurance broker Marsh & McLennan as CEO of its UK, European and Middle East businesses.
[1][7] Carnegie-Brown was later hired in 2006 as a managing partner at 3i Quoted Private Equity, leading an activist investment team.
[17] In April 2022, Carnegie-Brown was appointed chair of the Leadership Council of TheCityUK, an advocacy group promoting financial and related professional services industries of the United Kingdom.