Sir John Hood

An innovative educator, Sir John Hood served as Vice-Chancellor of both Auckland University and Oxford University and was named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to tertiary education in 2014.

He was the first person in Oxford’s 900-year history to be elected to the role from outside the University’s academic body.  

Sir John has shown strong commitment to industry, having spent 19 years heading the paper, building and construction divisions of Fletcher Challenge in New Zealand. He has also been a strategic consultant to a number of major corporations and served as director of ASB and Fonterra and is the former Chair of Tonkin & Taylor.In 2010, he was appointed President and CEO of The Robertson Foundation, a private family-led philanthropic foundation in the US.

Finally, Sir John was Chair of the Rhodes Trustees and was a Sir Peter Blake Medalist in 2009.