Born in Edinburgh, Cochrane was educated at Dunblane High School, Perthshire, and studied accountancy at Glasgow University.
[10] In January 2021, the Insolvency Service said it would seek to ban eight former Carillion directors, including Cochrane, from holding senior boardroom positions.
[15] On 4 January 2018 Cochrane was appointed as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the German equipment manufacturer, Schenck Process Group.
[18] In March 2016, Cochrane was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's National Academy for science and letters.
[19] Cochrane was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to business in Scotland.