Born in Croydon, South London, he attended Park Hill Junior School, Dulwich College where he was a contemporary of Nigel Farage, and Manchester University where he read law.
Early in his tenure at the Board of Deputies he had to respond to the controversy following the publication of photographs of Prince Harry wearing a fancy dress Nazi uniform.
He has given evidence to UK Parliamentary Select and Legislative Committees, the Supreme Court and in the immigration tribunal on the issue of Jewish status.
He is a member of the consultancy advisory panel of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and served on charity sector working groups on volunteering and trustee best practice.
In September 2017 he was appointed a trustee of the Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre, a charity established to preserve the legacy of the renowned historian through history based education.