Ian Hodgson was a solicitor and partner at Slaughter and May in London and Hong Kong for thirty years until 2013 specialising in corporate finance and restructuring.  He read History and Law at Downing College, Cambridge University. 

Since retiring, he has taken on a variety of voluntary roles, mainly in the education and sports areas, including as a trustee of a number of charitable organisations. Currently, among other roles, he is Chairman of Bucks Cricket, Deputy Chair of Governors of Oundle School and a Governor of Coleshill Primary School, and a trustee of The Hawks and Ospreys Charitable Trust.