Sir Paul is a Director of Standard Bank Group Ltd in Johannesburg, of Tempur-Pedic International Inc in Kentucky and of Abraaj Capital in Dubai. His other international interests include being Chairman of the British-North American Committee and of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Deputy Chairman of the American Management Association in New York, a Member of the Advisory Boards for the Graduate Management Admissions Council in Washington, for the UK-India Business Council, for HEC in Paris and for the Athens University of Economics and Business. He is also a Member of the Council of the Crown Agents.  

In the UK he is an Alderman of the City of London, the President of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and of the Association of MBAs, the Chairman of Schroder Income Growth Fund plc, of the Enterprise Education Trust and of St Dunstan's College and a Director of the Kazakhstan based mining company ENRC plc and of the public body The United Kingdom Accreditation Service. 

Following his education at Cambridge and at the Wharton Business School, he spent the first thirteen years of his business career with Cadbury Schweppes, working in the UK, US and Kenya, and becoming Group Planning Director and a member of the Group Executive Committee. In 1985 he initiated and led the £97 million buyout of the food businesses of Cadbury Schweppes to form Premier Brands which was successfully sold to Hillsdown Holdings and is now the UK's largest food company. 

He was subsequently Chairman of Food from Britain, Director General of the Conservative Party, a Ministerial Adviser at the UK Cabinet Office and a Director of WPP Group plc, of The Boddington Group plc and of Grosvenor Development Capital plc (now Hg Capital plc). More recently he was Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts (2003-6), of Teachers TV (2005-8) and of the Wharton Board for Europe, Middle East and Africa (2000-9), President of the Chartered Management Institute (2004-5) and Master of the Worshipful Company of Marketors (2005-6).  

He has Honorary Doctorates from Cambridge, Westminster and City universities and was the key benefactor of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.