Andrew was born in Yorkshire just after the end of the Second World War to Scottish parents from Glasgow and Argyll. He grew up in a tuberculosis sanatorium, overlooking Loch Leven where his father was the Medical Superintendent and became an apprentice gardener to him as his father was a keen horticulturalist. He studied law at Edinburgh University and in time became the Senior Partner of the then largest law firm in Scotland, specialising in corporate law. He became the Chairman of the CBI in Scotland, involved in both challenge to government and policy advice. He chaired “The Cubie Committee” which recommended in 1999 the ending of tuition fees in Scotland. Throughout his career he has been significantly involved in charitable activity, not least in the university sector in the UK and abroad, including chairing Edinburgh Napier University. He was knighted in 2008 for public service.
He chaired until recently Scotland’s Garden Trust, (SGT), originally based at Broxden, Perth. SGT and Trellis have entered into an agreement to utilise the residual assets of SGT to develop horticultural projects in care settings in Scotland.