John has worked as an international athlete, European Cup winning coach, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Non-Executive Director (NED) and Chair across the private, public and not for profit sectors. He has been CEO of UK Sport, the Rugby Football Union and the Youth Sport Trust. His experience spans leadership roles at 14 Olympic and Paralympic Games, across winter and summer editions.
As Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University, he gained insight into how high performance success can create social impact and learning. He chaired the Board of the UK Sports Institute for eight years and currently chairs Commonwealth Games England. His NED Board experience extends to 10 Boards.
John’s earlier roles as a Chartered Surveyor and army officer give him broad experience, which he now brings to Unforgiving Minute, the leadership consultancy he founded and co-owns. He has been a Visiting Professor in Sports Performance and Leadership at Loughborough University and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 for services to high performance sport.