Following a career in finance which culminated in him chairing the Finance Industry Standards Association, Neil was asked to volunteer to what was then the Preschool Learning Alliance and in 2008 he was appointed as chief executive.

He has been a strident leader of the largest early years membership organisation, overseeing its rebrand to the Early Years Alliance in 2019, a change that reflected its ambition to give a united voice to all involved in caring and educating young children.

Neil has fronted numerous sector campaigns on fair funding, mental health of the early years workforce, and, notably, Rewind on Ratios.