At 12 years old, John experienced first-hand the difficulties of a loved one living with cognitive challenges when his father was diagnosed with dementia. He dedicated his younger years, while studying at Winchester College and French & Linguistics at Oxford University, to helping care for his father until he sadly passed away. Although John started his professional career at Linklaters in London, working as a corporate lawyer (whilst also working on secondment at Goldman Sachs, Unilever and Linklaters Amsterdam & Singapore), his experience of caring for his father led him to leave the City and pursue a new business venture in the dementia care industry.

John began learning about interactive light technology and how this could make a huge difference to people living with dementia. He spent several years in the sector, developing products and working with some of the biggest care groups. This led him to start his own business, Social-Ability, with the ambition of revolutionising the experiences for people living with cognitive challenges.

John is currently Managing Director of Social-Ability (working with over 1,000 care centres across the UK & Ireland). Social-Ability runs the Happiness Programme and has expanded to help those not only living with dementia but also living with learning disabilities, in palliative care and in rehabilitation. Social-Ability is currently expanding across Europe and North America.

John is a member of the UK’s National Standards Committee on Ageing Societies and a passionate advocate for raising awareness of the challenges faced when living with cognitive challenges.