Born and brought up on a family farm in Perthshire, Sandy completed a HND in Agriculture at Edinburgh in 1987, and went on to join Bank of Scotland in 1989. Over the next few years he completed the banking professional examinations and became a Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, and a Chartered Banker. Following various roles in corporate and business banking he became Head of Agriculture for Bank of Scotland in 2008. During this time he represented the Bank in various external roles including the Committee of Scottish Bankers, Agricultural sub committee and a member of the Scottish Government’s Women in Agriculture Task Force. After 33 years he retired from Bank of Scotland in June 2022.
He is a past chairman of Perthshire Agricultural Society, and in August 2022 was appointed an honorary director of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.