Sir John Hood was an executive of Fletcher Challenge for 19 years and is a former vice-chancellor of the Universities of Auckland and Oxford. He currently serves as President and CEO of the Robertson Foundation, Chairman of the Rhodes Trust, as a director of BG Group, plc and WPP, plc, and as chairman of Urenco Limited, Study Group Limited and Matakina Limited. He also sits on a number of not for profit boards and advisory boards.

Sir John earned a Bachelor of Engineering and a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Auckland. Upon completing his doctorate, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford. There he read for an MPhil in Management Studies and was a member of Worcester College.