ÂÜŔňÂŇÂ×

John was appointed Vice Chair of the Housing Executive Board on 1 April 2019.

John holds a BA(Hon) Degree in Business Studies & a MBA from Ulster University. After 33 years John has retired as CEO of Bryson Group, one of the UK’s largest Social Enterprises.

John currently Chairs Social Enterprise NI and the Bank of England’s N Ireland Citizen’s Panel; holds board positions on a range of Social Enterprises including Drumlin Wind Co-op; WorkWest community enterprise agency and a community based Credit Union.

John served as the NI representative on the UK Landfill Tax Credit Forum to advise HM Revenue & Customs; as Chair of the Visiting Committee for Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Centre and the NI Association of Members of Boards of (prison) Visitors; as a member of DFP’s Social Enterprise Working Group and was a member of the ministerial (DSD) Taskforce on resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Minister’s Fuel Poverty Taskforce; was appointed by the Minister at the Department for Social Development as 1st Chair of the Northern Ireland Fuel Poverty Advisory Group until 2009 and by the Minister of State at the Department of Public Enterprise (Republic of Ireland), as a founding Board Member of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (Sustainable Energy Ireland); was a Board member of Belfast Healthy Cities; Belfast Hills Partnership; Chaired the Visiting Professor’s Panel on Sustainability at the University of Ulster; Chaired the DoE’s Climate NI, climate change impact partnership; Chaired CO3, membership body for 3rd Sector leaders.

John is a Life Fellow of RSA, was NI & UK Social Enterprise Leader of the Year in 2011; was made a Distinguished Graduate of Ulster University; was awarded IoDNI 2012 & IoDUK 2013 Public & 3rd Sector Director of the Year. John was awarded a MBE in 1998 & an OBE in 2011. In 2015 was made a companion of the Chartered Management Institute. In 2017 was elected one of the first national Social Enterprise UK Fellows.