|
At age 35,
John left an executive career track at Microsoft
to form Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that
“combines the heart of Mother Theresa with the
scalability of Starbucks” to help over one million
children across the developing world break the cycle of
poverty through the power of education. Razor-sharp
business acumen honed at Microsoft, combined with a
passion to change the world makes John Wood a unique,
inspiring and popular speaker with universal appeal.
John founded
Room to Read out of deep concern that nearly one billion
people lack basic literacy. “I was blessed with a solid
education which was a wonderful foundation for my
future. As a result, I had a great career at a company
that encourages people to dream big dreams. I started
this nonprofit as a way to give that same foundation and
opportunity to children in the world’s poorest places.”
Since its
start in 2000, Room to Read has sponsored the opening of
more than 280 schools and 3,800 multi-lingual libraries
across the developing world. The organization has
distributed over 3 million children’s books and supports
more than 3,400 girls with long-term scholarships. John
describes these results as “total tip of the iceberg” as
Room to Read plans to increase this literacy network to
20,000 libraries and schools serving at least 10 million
children. The organization currently operates in eight
countries in Asia and Africa, ranging from Nepal to Sri
Lanka to South Africa.
John raised
over $25 million of financial commitments from a
“standing start” and illustrates this experience in a
recent memoir, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
(Harper Collins 2006), a book described by Publishers’
Weekly in a starred review as “an infectiously inspiring
read.” Translated into 16 languages, it is popular with
entrepreneurs, philanthropists, educators, and
internationalists alike, selected by Amazon.com Editor
Picks as a Top Ten Business Narrative of 2006 and voted
by Hudson Booksellers as a Top Ten Nonfiction title of
2006.
During his
career at Microsoft, John ran significant parts of the
company’s international business divisions, including
positions as:
- Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division
- Director of Marketing for Microsoft Australia
- Director of Business Development for the Greater
China region
John holds a
Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg
Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University
and a B.S. from the University of Colorado.
Honors:
- Four-time winner of the Fast Company Magazine and
Monitor Group Social Capitalist Award
- Time Magazine’s “Asian Heroes” Award, recognizing “20
People under 40 who have done something brave, bold, or
remarkable” (the only non-Asian ever chosen for this
honor)
- Selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World
Economic Forum (attendee of the Davos WEF for the last
three years
- Two-time winner of the Skoll Foundation Award for
Social Innovation (grants of $200,000 and $1.2 million)
- Selected as 2007 Henry Crown Fellow by the Aspen
Institute (one of only 20 leaders chosen for their
potential to provide leadership at the highest levels of
corporate and civic responsibility)
- Second recipient of the Draper Richards Fellowship
(America’s largest fellowship for early stage social
entrepreneurs)
- Profiled by the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBS)
as one of “America’s Great Leaders”
Recent Speaking Venues
- Clinton Global Initiative – September 2007 (New York,
New York)
- Innovators at Google – October 2007 (Mountain View,
California)
- The Power Within – October 2007 (Calgary and London,
Canada)
- Reading First (U.S. Department of Education) – July
2007 (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Enterprise Software Conference, Sand Hill Group –
July 2007 (Pebble Beach, California)
Other
Notable Speaking Venues
- The Power Within – September 2006 (Toronto, Canada)
- Starbucks Corporate Marketing Conference – September
2006 (Seattle, Washington)
- Microsoft Education Summit Conference – September
2006 (Seattle, Washington)
- Professional Businesswomen of California – November
2006 (Sacramento, California)
- Council on Foreign Relations – November 2006
(Washington, D.C.)
Responses to
John’s Speeches
“John spoke at our 500-person Starbucks marketing
conference and was an amazing inspiration to our global
team. Here is someone who is literally changing the
world, and he invites you to participate! He does so
with humor, energy, and no guilt. If you want to hear a
story that will end with a standing ovation, invite John
to speak (and then donate to his organization)!" – Anne
Saunders, Senior Vice President, Starbucks Coffee
Company
“John is a
breath of fresh air to executives and professionals who
are typically caught up in their busy lives. He connects
with people’s natural desire to do good for society.
John was a big hit at our Software 2004 conference,
where he received a standing ovation (the only one in
the history of the conference) from over 1,000 CEO’s,
VP’s, and venture capitalists. He is an engaging speaker
who is guaranteed to make people passionate about life.”
– MR Rangaswami, Founder and CEO, Sand Hill Group |
