Steve Powell was born in London in 1952, brought up in Kenya and educated at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane. At the age of 17 he joined the Keystone Picture Agency before linking up with Tony Duffy and John Starr in what became Allsport Photographic, the international sports picture agency. After stints processing film in the darkroom and marketing the agency's creative content, he became a full-time photographer before taking over the commercial operation and eventually assuming the role of Chairman and Chief Executive of the Allsport Group. Following its sale to Getty Images in 1998, he became President of GettySource, finally retiring at the age of 48 following the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
