Skills and experience: John is the former Chief Executive Officer of Royal Ahold. He began his career in 1979 at Ford Motor Company and held a variety of positions both in the UK and in Europe. In 1994 he joined British Airways Plc, where he was Chief Financial Officer from 2001 to 2005. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive, John had been appointed as a non-executive director of the Company in 2007 and served as Chairman of the audit committee and a member of the ethics and nominations committees. He is a former non-executive director of Allied Domecq.