Burbidge was born on 15 October 1943, and educated at Shrewsbury School and then Keble College, Oxford where he achieved a Master of Arts in Law.

Burbidge's previous roles have included former chairman of the Coventry City of Culture Trust between 2015 and 2022, having successfully secured victory for Coventry in the UK City of Culture title;[3][5] non-executive chairman of Burbidge Capital Limited in Nairobi, Kenya between 2010 and 2016,[6][4] also a main board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) between 2008 and 2014 and Honorary Governor until 2024.

[citation needed] Burbidge was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to Coventry Cathedral.

[14] He was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his services to cultural philanthropy in the West Midlands.

[3] Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon DLitt) in recognition of significant contribution to arts & culture in the West Midlands, was awarded by the University of Warwick in July 2017.

[17] Arts & Business West Midlands Culture Champion 2012 in recognition of leadership for the regional fundraising campaign of the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare & Swan Theatres, Stratford-upon-Avon.