John Amaechi

He is a non-executive director of a FTSE 250 company, was a 10-year director of the UK’s largest healthcare organisation and a board adviser for several FTSE 100 organisations in the financial, legal and professional services, technology, publishing, engineering and retail sectors. John grew up in Stockport, near Manchester, and left for America alone at the age of 18 to pursue his ambition to become the first alone at the age of 18 to pursue his ambition to become the first Briton to have a career in the NBA.

Just six years after picking up a basketball, he achieved that goal becoming the only undrafted player in NBA history to ‘start’ at the beginning of his first season. Since his retirement from sport, John has continued to learn and teach. He is a Professor of Leadership (HC) at the University of Exeter Business School, a Chartered Scientist, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and an Elected Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health and the Association of Business Psychologists. He is a Research Fellow at the University of East London; his research interests include effective, inclusive leadership, building high-performing teams and effective organisational design that maximises productivity and human thriving in readiness for the future world of work.

John has been recognised as one of HR’s most influential thinkers by HR Magazine and was inducted into HR magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2022. He is a LinkedIn influencer and has been a LinkedIn Top Voice since 2020. In 2023, he was awarded the Integrity and Impact award at the Sport’s Industry Awards. But there are some more things it’s important to know. John is a mentor, a teacher, and always using his deep psychological insight combined with real-life experience to provide a touchstone for people and companies who want to thrive, achieve, and align their beliefs, values and ethics.