Quinn was educated at Glasgow University, where he obtained an Master of Arts (Honours) degree. He also obtained an Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Manchester and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics from Cornell University.
He is an honorary Professor of economics at Glasgow University. He is best known for his spell as the Chairman of the Celtic Plc board, the company that owns Celtic Football Club.
Between 1964 and 1970 Quinn worked for the International Monetary Fund (International Monetary Fund), first as an economist at the African Department, then as International Monetary Fund Representative for West Africa. He then joined the Bank of England as an economist, eventually rising to Deputy Governor in 1995.
In 1996 he joined Celtic as a non-executive director, and was made chairman in 2000.
He announced he was to resign the chair of Celtic on 17 November 2007 and was succeeded by John Reid. Quinn also serves as a non-executive director for the Qatar financial services authority and runs a financial consulting business.
