John has been one of the leading figures in the UK Fire and Rescue Service for over fifteen years and had more than 37 years’ experience working in the sector. He led Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service for 11 years as Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive. The organisation has an international reputation for its technical expertise, innovation and leading edge performance. John also sits on the board of the National Fire Protection Association in the United States. He is presently vice chair and takes on the Chair role next year. The first non-North American to take the position in the 120 year history of the NFPA. This multi-million dollar not-for-profit membership organisation has global reach in the development and maintenance of fire and life safety codes and standards. Joining the presidential chain in 2008 John became President of the UK’s Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) in 2009 for a unique 18 month term during which time he was the architect of CFOA’s new business planning process. As chair of CFOA National Resilience Ltd from 2013-2017 he and the board were responsible for the provision of assurance services to the fire and rescue national response assets, a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. The company also delivered resilience solutions to companies and agencies both in the UK and across the globe Since 2015 John has developed his own coaching practice working with board level clients in the public, private and not for profit sectors. As a qualified executive coach John works with clients both in one to one engagements and in teams. He is a fellow of the Institute of Directors and holds Chartered Director status and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers. John has extensive experience working with senior executives in all three sectors as well as politicians. This has given him a valuable insight into not only effective leadership but also the critical skill of building effective partnerships and coalition building. He has over 20 years of experience performing at board level having served in the different roles of trustee, executive, independent director and chair. This experience has been underpinned by his Chartered Director qualification and honed by his more recent experience as secretary and vice chair of the NFPA. His work with the NFPA governance committee has also been invaluable in developing his appreciation of why good governance is so essential to corporate success. He has been deeply involved in developing a new corporate strategy within the NFPA which has seen the establishment of NFPA Global Solutions, a trading company of the Association which now operating in the US, Middle East and Latin America. John is an adept communicator in groups and one to one. He is an accomplished public speaker having delivered extensively both in the UK and internationally for over a decade. He is an established authority in the field of risk assessment and analysis helping numerous clients build practical and effective safety solutions.