John Wood

John Wood is the Founder and CEO of U-Go, a nonprofit organization launched in 2022 that aims to help young women in low-income countries attend university.13 Prior to founding U-Go, Wood had an impressive career spanning both the corporate and nonprofit sectors.

Career Highlights

Microsoft Executive:: Wood worked at Microsoft for 8 years, holding positions such as Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division and Director of Business Development for the Greater China region.2

Room to Read:: In 2000, Wood left Microsoft to found Room to Read, a global education nonprofit. He served as the founding CEO and later Board Chair, helping to raise over $750 million in philanthropic capital and bringing education programs to over 30 million children in 20 low-income countries.1

U-Go:: In February 2022, Wood founded U-Go, where he currently serves as CEO.2

Other Roles and Achievements

• Partner for Asia at Concentric Equity Partners
• Advisory Board member for Asia Partners and XA Network
• Board member and investor for Green Common
• Henry Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute
• Served on the Advisory Board of the Clinton Global Initiative

Education

Wood holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Colorado Boulder.2 He has also received several honorary PhDs from institutions including the University of San Francisco and McGill University.2

Recognition

John Wood has received numerous accolades for his work, including:

• Named one of the world's 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs
• Selected as an "Asian Hero" by Time magazine
• Five-time winner of Fast Company's Social Capitalist Award
• Recipient of the World's Children's Prize (also called the Children's Nobel Prize) from Queen Silvia of Sweden1

Wood is also an author, having published five books, including "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World," which received critical acclaim and was translated into 20 languages.1