John is an entrepreneur, businessman, investor and passionate philanthropist. He founded online electrical retailer AO.com in 2000 following a £1 bet with his friend that he couldn’t change the face of the white goods market. Twenty years later it has proven to be a valuable bet: AO has gone from three people to nearly 3,000, was valued at £1.2bn at IPO in 2014, and has won numerous awards including Which? magazine’s ‘Best Online Shop’. John is a long-standing supporter of the development of opportunities for young people and is Chairman of OnSide, an initiative that is transforming youth provision in the UK by giving young people safe, affordable and inspiring places to go in their leisure time. His overarching goal is to ensure that no young person is left behind.