Pat is a former Director of Policy and Standards for the Forest Service of Northern Irelands Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.  He was founding chairman of the Northern Ireland Native Woodland Group, a cross-sectoral, inter-disciplinary body which co-ordinates the delivery of the woodland Biodiversity Action Plan targets.

He was also Northern Ireland representative on the UK Native Woodland Habitat Action Co-ordinating Group until 2004.  He is an experienced land manager in both the public and private sector, he returned to Scotland in 2005 and now owns and manages a small estate, Blairquhan, in south Ayrshire. At Blairquhan, Pat and his family are seeking to develop a traditional landed estate with farming, forestry, sporting and tourism interests in a way that is sustainable in the 21st Century. For example, the management of the woodlands is certified under the UK Woodland Assurance Standard and they have recently installed a woodchip boiler to provide heat from a carbon neutral, local and sustainable fuel. The castle at Blairquhan was a key location for the Oscar winning film, The Queen.

Pat has a degree in Forestry from Aberdeen University and a post-graduate certificate in Law from Queens University in Belfast. He is a Member of the South Scotland Regional Forestry Forum and Member of the River Girvan District Salmon Fishery Board.