Barrie has completed studies in the United Kingdom towards the National Diploma in Business Studies, Travel and Tourism. His early work experience was in sales and marketing positions for home related products and services. His initial grounding was in direct sales and he subsequently progressed to management.

In the mid 1980s, Barrie moved into the tourism marketing sector and was instrumental in developing a technique that was new to the United Kingdom, Fly Buys, which invited clients and their referred friends to take an inspection visit to a proposed interval holiday destination in Europe. This successful project provided the impetus for Barrie's career in marketing.

Barrie has managed large telemarketing operations in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. These telemarketing operations have sourced potential clients for selling organizations. Barrie has been instrumental in the recruitment, training and script writing for telemarketing staff in these locations.

While working in New Zealand in the mid 1990s, Barrie managed the marketing operation of four sales centres. He hired and trained over 2,000 New Zealanders, many of whom are still employed in the tourism and sales sectors.

From 1998 to 2003, Barrie replicated this skill for One World Leisure Limited in Adelaide where he was fully responsible for marketing, tour flow, hiring and recruitment.

In 2003 Barrie saw an opportunity, based largely around the success of Indian call centre agents in all marketing rooms, to open a global call centre in Bangalore, India. Origin has firmly established itself in Bangalore.