John was brought up in north Manchester. His dad was a primary school headteacher. At 14 there were few signs that John would end up leading a company that had 24,000 employees in 70 countries. It's funny how life works out. After an energetic few years at Hull University he worked for Gateshead Council and then the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. When a career in politics beckoned he decided instead to move into a corporate world  that involved lots of travel, many  meetings and so many decisions. It's been quite a career and John remains as self-deprecating as you'd expect for a lad from Middleton who grew up supporting the old Manchester City.