Les White grew up on a beef farm in a Latrobe Valley power industry family.
He was a journalist at Fairfax country papers for four years and then spent five years writing for the Weekly Times, including three years as Federal Politics writer based in Parliament House.

He has been a Senior Media Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff to senior state and federal government Ministers, including a Federal Agriculture Minister, and now runs a consultancy business in the space where emissions reduction meets regional Australia.