Bruce is a founder and Chair of Dickson Minto WS, established in 1985 and specialising in corporate and commercial law.

Bruce has been the Chairman of the Campaign Board for the refurbishment of the Royal Museum and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of National Museums Scotland, and currently is the Convenor of the Investigation Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland and a member of the Royal Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh Foundation Board. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, a Regent of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and is Chairman of the Saints and Sinners Club of Scotland.

Bruce was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to culture in Scotland.