John is Chancellor of St John and chairs the Priory Board, the Nominations and Appointment Panel and the Priory Honours Committee. He is an ex officio member of all the Committees of Priory Chapter and the Priory Board.

John has wide-ranging public sector experience and was Secretary to the Treasury from 2003 to 2011. He has extensive governance experience, including as Executive Director on the Board of the World Bank Group, where he also chaired the Budget Committee and was a member of the Audit and Ethics committees. He is currently a director/trustee of a range of other charitable boards and has carried out a number of reviews for Government.

He and Eileen have six children/stepchildren and six grandchildren.