John is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who chairs a number of companies including the London Theatre Company. He is a non-executive director of two investment management businesses and has a range of venture capital interests in e-commerce, media and telecommunications.

He chairs the Trustees of The National Gallery, is a Trustee of the Chatsworth Settlement Trust, the Arts Foundation and a number of other charities. John is a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, an ambassador for the homelessness charity Depaul International, Deputy Lieutenant for West Sussex and sits on the Honours Committee.