John Wood Keynote Speaker

John Wood is a pioneering social entrepreneur and best‑selling author whose mission‑driven leadership has unlocked opportunity for millions worldwide. As Founder & CEO of U‑Go, he creates university pathways for young women across low‑income countries. He previously spent two decades as Founding CEO and Board Chair of Room to Read, scaling it into a global force for literacy and girls’ education.​

From 1991–1999 he held senior roles at Microsoft, including Director of Marketing for Asia‑Pacific and Director of Business Development for Greater China, before launching Room to Read. He and his teams have since raised US $900 million, bringing award‑winning programmes to more than 30 million children in 26 nations.​

Wood’s impact has earned wide acclaim: Time magazine “Asian Hero,” Goldman Sachs “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs,” five‑time Fast Company Social Capitalist, Tribeca Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Honoree, WEF Young Global Leader and double Barron’s “25 Best Givers.” He served three terms on the Clinton Global Initiative Advisory Board and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.​

An engaging storyteller, he is the author of five books, including Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, a Top‑10 Amazon and Hudson’s title translated into 20 languages that fuelled a US $3 million Oprah‑led book drive. He holds an MBA from Kellogg, a finance degree from the University of Colorado, four honorary doctorates, and advises Asia Partners, XA Network, Concentric Equity and other high‑impact ventures.​

In keynotes he distils hard‑won lessons on purpose‑led growth, scalable operations and authentic leadership, helping audiences turn bold visions into measurable impact.