Born and brought up in Northern Ireland, Steve graduated from Manchester University before joining the BBC, progressing from Youth and Entertainment Features to producing/directing on Newsnight, Spotlight and Panorama.

He returned to Ireland in 1997 and established the independent company, Mint Productions.

In February 2009, Steve was appointed Director of Programmes, RTÉ Television, responsible for commissioning in-house and independent content on RTÉ One and Two. He re-joined the BBC in 2013 as Head of BBC Northern Ireland Productions.

Steve joined BBC Scotland as Head of Multiplatform Commissioning in 2017, launching a dedicated channel for Scotland. Commissioning credits include the award-winning drama Guilt, landmark documentaries Yes No: Inside The Indyref, Murder Trial and Inside Central Station. A former vice-president of the European Broadcasting Union’s Television Committee and chair of RTS Northern Ireland, he is married to broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan.

In October 2020 Steve was appointed Director, BBC Scotland.