John Wood is the Founder and CEO of U-GO, which is dedicated to empowering tens of thousands of young women in low-income countries with the opportunity to pursue a university education. Early in his career, he was Microsoft’s Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific region and the Director of Business... Read more
What the world needs now...is GSD: John Wood at TEDxUNC
MBA Leadership Re-imagined Lecture with John Wood
Creating Room to Read | John Wood | Talks at Google
Explores how today’s most impactful leaders align profit with purpose, driving both business success and social good. Based on real world experiences creating social impact partnerships with over 100 innovative companies, this inspiring talk challenges leaders to find ways to turn purpose into a sustainable competitive advantage.
Dives into real-world lessons from the front lines of social change, offering bold strategies for leading in complex, rapidly evolving environments. This talk pushes leaders to commit to bold goals, take risks, and lead with guts, grit, and game-changing vision.
John Wood is the Founder and CEO of U-GO, which is dedicated to empowering tens of thousands of young women in low-income countries with the opportunity to pursue a university education. Early in his career, he was Microsoft’s Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific region and the Director of Business Development for Greater China. John left Microsoft in 1999 to found Room to Read, where he spent 20 years as the Founding CEO, Board Chair and globe-trotting ambassador. He built and led teams that have raised over $900 million in philanthropic capital and have brought award-winning education programs to over 30 million children in 26 low-income countries.
John Wood has five published books, including Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, which was named a Top ten book of the year by both Amazon and Hudson’s Booksellers and described by Publisher’s Weekly as “an infectiously inspiring read”. His memoir was translated into 20 languages and was featured in hundreds of outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show to announce Oprah’s Book Drive raised over $3 million.
He has been named by Goldman Sachs as one of the world’s 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs. At the invitation of Bill Clinton, he served three terms on the Advisory Board of the Clinton Global Initiative and was a featured speaker on several occasions. John was named an “Asian Hero” by Time magazine and is a five-time winner of Fast Company’s Social Capitalist Award. He was selected by the World Economic Forum for its inaugural class of Young Global Leaders. The Tribeca Film Festival made him a Lifetime Achievement Honoree. John is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and was twice selected by Barron’s as one of the “25 Best Givers.” In 2014, Queen Silvia of Sweden awarded John with the World’s Children’s Prize, also called the Children’s Nobel Prize.
John holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado and has received four honorary Ph.D’s. He is a founding Advisory Board member for both Asia Partners – a $1 billion Singapore-based private equity fund focused on emerging technology firms – and XA Network, the leading Southeast Asian angel investing platform. He is the Asia Partner for Concentric Equity, a $2.5 billion Chicago-based private equity fund for whom he co-leads Asian investment strategy. John previously served on the Board of Directors for Net Impact and One Acre Fund and is currently on the Advisory Boards of New Story and Flight School.
Tell us about your event, one of our consultants will reach out within 24 hours.
You can book John Wood through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with John's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
John Wood's speaking fees depend on the event format (in-person or virtual), the location, the length of the engagement and the level of customisation required. Please contact London Speaker Bureau for an up-to-date fee quote for John tailored to your event.
John Wood speaks on Business & Management, Change, Communication, Education, Emerging Markets. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with John to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book John Wood for events worldwide, subject to John's schedule. Please send us your event date, location and format and we will confirm availability and handle travel and logistics on your behalf.
Virtual and hybrid keynotes are now a standard part of the speaking industry. Please contact London Speaker Bureau to confirm whether John Wood is available to deliver a virtual session for your event and on which platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, a bespoke studio or your own).
Most keynote speeches run between 45 and 60 minutes, often followed by a 15-30 minute Q&A. Other formats - shorter conference slots, panel appearances or longer workshop sessions - may also be possible. Share your agenda with London Speaker Bureau and we will confirm what John can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief John Wood on your audience profile, sector and objectives so the keynote can be shaped around your event. The level of customisation possible depends on the speaker and the lead time - contact us with your brief and we will confirm what John can offer.
John Wood delivers keynotes in English. This profile may not list every language available; ask London Speaker Bureau to confirm. If you require simultaneous interpretation or a multilingual format, please mention this in your enquiry and London Speaker Bureau will arrange it for you.
John Wood's areas of expertise include Business & Management, Change, Communication, Education, Emerging Markets. To get a clear sense of John's style, credentials and how they engage an audience, please review the biography, popular talks and any videos or testimonials shown on this page, or request a detailed speaker brief from London Speaker Bureau.
John Wood can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in Business & Management, Change, Communication, Education, Emerging Markets is relevant. Details of John's background and previous engagements are included in the biography above; contact us if you would like a more detailed list of past clients or case studies.
Beyond keynote speeches, many of the speakers on our roster also take part in workshops, executive masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats. Contact London Speaker Bureau with your preferred format and we will confirm what John Wood is able to offer alongside or instead of a keynote.
We generally recommend enquiring at least three to twelve months in advance to secure your preferred date with John Wood, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check John's current availability for your dates.