ohn spent thirty years at Procter & Gamble, leading innovation programmes across North America, Asia and Europe, and finishing as Chief Research, Development and Innovation Officer for the Brussels Innovation Center. His years in Kobe left him with the cultural range he now brings to international rooms.

Since 2015 he has been Professor of Management Practice in Leading and Living Innovation at Solvay Brussels School, with visiting chairs at emlyon and Aalto. At The Conference Board he heads the global Innovation and Digital Transformation Institute and leads the Innovation Councils for Europe, Asia and the Gulf, which means he spends much of his working life holding rooms of exactly the people Foundation is built for. He trained as a chemical engineer at Delft.