John has enjoyed a diverse career in academia, high technology, business and recently in the world of soccer. He is currently a Partner in the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.Born in England, John graduated from the University of Wales in Computer Technology. He spent 5 years teaching at Durham and Sheffield before joining Carleton University in 1979. John was Director of the School of Computer Science for eight of its formative years. A pioneer in Object-Oriented Systems, he co-authored five books and was a sought after speaker at industry conferences worldwide for many years.In 1990, as CEO and co-founder of The Object People (TOP), John grew TOP to become a leading international provider of e-commerce and web-based solutions, a multi-national company with offices in five countries, and more than 120 employees. John directed the company from start-up to acquisition in 2000 by BEA Systems. As Vice-President, Global Education for BEA, he developed a worldwide education division which grew to 120 employees, tripled its annual revenue and trained 5,000 channel partners.An avid player and fan, he played semi-professional soccer in the UK enjoying a successful career at the varsity (British Universities) and club levels (Swansea City, Llanelli, Durham City, and Sheffield FC).In July 2002, he acquired the Ottawa Fury Soccer Club with two goals in mind. (1) To provide the highest levels of soccer for fans in Eastern Ontario to enjoy as spectators and (2) to provide the best possible development opportunities for talented young soccer players. Under his leadership, more than 100 Fury young players received sports scholarships from US schools and the Fury Women's would win a North American Championship.In 2010, John joined Roger Greenberg, Bill Shenkman, John Ruddy and Jeff Hunt as partners in the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). In concert with the City of Ottawa, OSEG transformed Lansdowne Park into a destination of choice for live events, cultural activities, shopping, dining and recreational activities. OSEG re-established CFL football (Ottawa RedBlacks), brought professional soccer (Ottawa Fury) to the city and acquired the Ottawa 67's hockey franchise. The Lansdowne, project features a 24,000 seat stadium, 10,000 seat indoor arena, and a mixed-use area which includes 280 residential units and 360,000 sq. ft of commercial space.John has lived in Ottawa for more than 30 years. His wife, Christine, is a retired teacher and they have a son, Gareth, daughter, Chloe and two grandchildren Margaret and Lydia.