Drummond was born and brought up in Northern Ireland, where his father worked in the shipyard before becoming a priest.
He won a scholarship to read classics at the University of Oxford and after working for a short time at the Bank of England, completed an MBA at the Harvard Business School.
Prior to joining Pennon, Drummond was chief executive of Coats Viyella Yarns Division, an executive director of Renold PLC, a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and an official with the Bank of England.
[1] He was appointed an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2012 for services to technology and innovation, and a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Somerset in 2016.
[citation needed] He lists among his hobbies as growing vegetables in the manner of 'peasant farmer.