Up until 1991 Gordon Hughes was Professor of Political Economy and Head of the School of Economics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He has maintained that affiliation as a part-time Professor and now as a Professorial Fellow. For 10 years from 1991 he was a Senior Adviser on energy and environmental policy at the World Bank. After returning to the UK in 2001, he worked as a Director of NERA Economic Consulting in London and at his own consulting firm based in Scotland. His work focused on the economic and financial analysis of energy markets and utilities; the privatization, restructuring and regulation of infrastructure operators; and economic aspects of property valuation. From 2011 to 2017 he was the Chair of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (the Scottish water regulator). He has written extensively on the economics of renewable energy and electricity markets. In addition, he chairs several companies which provide broadband services in rural areas and energy management services.