Alan Whittaker was born, educated and lives in Shrewsbury. He worked for many years as a buyer in local engineering. He also spent eight years in Sydney, Australia, working in sales and marketing, and did a degree in business and economics at the University of New South Wales. On his return to England he taught A-level economics in Sussex, returning to Shropshire to take up a post as a lecturer specializing in government economic policy and business economics. Now retired, he is secretary of the Mid and North Shropshire Green Party and continues his economic research.