Vernon qualified with a BSc Chemical Engineering degree in 1993 and completed an MSc Engineering part time in 1996 having passed cum laude. His 20 year career started as a lecturer in the now Durban University of Technology. After joining the corporate world, he worked his way up through the ranks with the kind of skill, focus and precision that he brings to all his projects.

Throughout his career, he has managed diverse projects and teams as well as budgets of up to R1bn. He has achieved numerous successes along the way, the most prestigious being awarded the CSIR Award for Innovation in 2000 and coming second in the All Africa Public Sector Innovation Awards held in Kenya in 2010.