He had an early interest in natural history stimulated by the National Museum of Wales but his first job was working for the Distillers Company on the development and use of plastics and resins.
[3] In 1974 he created the Kew Conservation Unit, which included work on CITES for the UK Government and setting up of the I.U.C.N.
Threatened Plant Committee Secretariat that became integrated into the World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
[4] The International Plant Red Data Book published in 1979 co-edited with Hugh Synge was one of the products of this work.
[6] He was promoted to Senior Principal Scientific Officer and in 1989 appointed the Keeper of the Herbarium and Library at Kew and Deputy Director; he retired in 1995.
After retirement he remained at Kew for a year as head of the Information Services Department.