He travelled to Sydney in 1869 to develop a branch of W. & A. McArthur, Ltd., wholesale merchants and importers of York Street, Sydney. He worked at the company's Melbourne branch before returning to Sydney as resident partner in 1876. He later became chairman and managing director of Metropolitan Coal Company Limited and a director the Australian branches of Westinghouse Air Brake Company Limited and Phoenix Assurance Company Limited. He was the president of Sydney Chamber of Commerce in 1886.
