Lord Lindsay's career has seen him serve in a number of senior Government posts and on Government advisory committees. Notably he was, from 1995 -1997, Under Secretary of State for Scotland; Minister for agriculture, environmental protection, countryside, rural affairs, food and food safety, forestry and culture. He was President of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland from 2005-2006 and is a Vice-President of the RSPB.
Lord Lindsay has also served on the board of a number of commercial companies including Assured British Meat and Genesis Quality Assurance Ltd. His current appointments include: Chairman of Elmwood College, Chairman of UKAS Ltd (United Kingdom Accreditation Service), Non-Executive Director of Scottish Resources Group Ltd and British Polythene Industries plc, and Deputy Chairman of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council. He was appointed President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2005 and is Vice-President of the Royal Smithfield Club.