Rowley was educated at Handsworth Grammar School, then an all boys state grammar school in Handsworth, Birmingham. In 1983, he matriculated into St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1986.
In 1987, Rowley began his policing career when he joined West Midlands Police as a constable. His early career centred on Birmingham where he undertook a broad range of both uniformed and detective roles.
He joined the National Criminal Intelligence Service as a Detective Superintendent. During his time serving in the NCIS, he led the development of covert operations to combat organised crime. In 2000, he joined Surrey Police as a senior officer when he was appointed Chief Superintendent in command of the West Surrey Basic Command Unit. Starting in 2002, he led the five-year investigation into the murder of Milly Dowler.
In November 2003, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable. His responsibilities originally included local policing, crime reduction and Criminal justice, but in 2005 his role changed and he became responsible for major and organised crime. He was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in 2007. He served as temporary Chief Constable of Surrey Police from March 2008. He was appointed Chief Constable of the force in March 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he was a member of Association of Chief Police Officers Cabinet.
In the 2011 New Year Honours, Rowley was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (QPM).
In January 2018, Rowley announced his retirement. He will be succeeded by Neil Basu.
