Business Career
Upon graduation from Oxford, he worked as a trader of oil and refined products, first with Royal Dutch Shell (1979–1981) and from 1982 to 1988 for Marc Rich, working in London and Singapore. From 1988 to 1992, Duncan was self-employed, acting as a consultant and adviser to foreign governments on oil supplies, shipping and refining. In 1989, Duncan set up the independent Harcourt Consultants, which advises on oil and gas matters. He made over a million pounds after profiting from the need to supply oil to Pakistan after Kuwait's supplies had been disrupted in the Gulf War.
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