Dougie joined UK Music in January 2023, having held several roles in central government. He previously served as Senior Music Policy Advisor at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

During this period, he was involved in several key projects, including delivering the new National Plan for Music Education and collaborating with UK Music and Music for Dementia on the Power of Music report.

Dougie has also held roles in the Department for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) focussed on supporting those impacted by the Grenfell Tower fire and issues related to unsafe cladding. This includes working on delivering the Building Safety Act: a landmark piece of legislation to help combat the systemic failures that resulted in the tragedy.