Chris spent the majority of his career as an officer in the Royal Navy submarine service where he served in both nuclear and diesel submarines. As a junior officer he served in HMS Ocelot which is currently in the Historic Dockyard. He was the last Captain of Ocelot's sister submarine HMS Otter.  

After leaving the Navy, Chris spent four years working for a global shipping company before joining the Serious Organised Crime Agency/National Crime Agency as a Deputy Director. He retired in September 2014.