Ken was born in Morrinsville, and raised at Kiwitahi, attending Kiwitahi Primary School and later Morrinsville College.

In September 1976 he joined the Ministry of Transport as a Traffic Officer, serving in the Wellington and Hamilton Districts. In 1985 he transferred from Wellington Motorways Unit to Huntly. In 1992, the Ministry of Transport and New Zealand Police merged. He remained working in Road Policing until 2017, when he transferred to the Waikato Investigation Support Unit until retirement in April 2022.

His introduction to Rotary was when he was invited to attend a Polio Fundraising Dinner run by the Rotary Club of Huntly. In 1988 he joined Huntly Rotary, where he has held most Club Officer positions and served as Club President on four occasions.

He was Area 1 Assistant Governor for the period 2018 to 2021. In 2020, he was appointed as the District Rotary Foundation Chair, having been on the District Rotary Foundation committee for several years.

He is married to Nancy, and they currently reside in Huntly. They have an extended family ranging from 14 to 35 years of age, with one grandchild. Their interests include Pipe Bands, genealogy, and caravanning.