Pete was born in Lancashire and has very strong family connections to Liverpool. He attended the University of Liverpool, being awarded a BA (Hons) in Politics. He worked at Liverpool Football Club, followed by policy and communications work for several Members of Parliament, including a HM Treasury Minister. Until 2014 he worked in finance for a FTSE 250 company. Pete has a strong interest in economic growth and sustainability. As Leader of Milton Keynes Council, he initiated the MK Futures 2050 Commission, tasked with developing the roadmap for the future growth and prosperity of Milton Keynes.

He is a regular speaker at high-level national conferences on issues such as sustainability, urban planning, and growth. He has spoken at the prestigious Royal Society, and at international conferences in Brussels, Munich, Barcelona, Shanghai and in Hong Kong. He is often asked to contribute to policy formation, meeting regularly with MPs, civil servants, think tanks and the National Infrastructure Commission. He is a non-executive director of several organisations, helped establish the Fast Growing Cities Group and is an active member of the Local Government Association. He has recently been elected to the Energy Cities Board of Directors.