Steve played football for Notts County FC and then attended Cambridge University, where he read Natural Sciences (Psychology). He then joined the London advertising agency, BMP, in 1973. Originally an account planner, he moved to the media department in 1980 to start a media planning function. He became Media Planning Director in 1983 and Media Director in 1985.
He left BMP in 1988 to set up a new agency with three partners including the two joint creative directors of BMP, Alan Tilby and Paul Leeves.  They sold the agency to BDDP in 1991 and he joined Grey as International Media Director.

He joined DDB in 1993 as European Media Director, based in Paris. DDB had, in the meantime, purchased BMP, his first employer. He was actively involved in the establishment of OMD, the Omnicom media agency. He transferred to OMD in 1996.  He is a former member of the Executive Board of the European Association of Communication Agencies and former Chairman of their Media Agencies Council.  Steve joined Henkel Cosmetics as International Media Director in May 2002. He is a member of the Media Committee of the World Federation of Advertisers and is a member of their media research working group.