After studying biology at Oxford University and earning a master's degree in environment and international development from the University of East Anglia, Hugh embarked on the ECDD adventure in 2007, a project he had developed following research in the Comoros in 2005. He is one of the founding members of the NGO Dahari and served as Technical Director until 2017, when he became Strategic Advisor while supporting other local conservation NGOs in East Africa and in Madagascar for Maliasili. He returned as co-Director in 2020 to further the NGO's strategic development.