Leaving Microsoft to change the world - John Wood

John Wood was a senior Microsoft director but in 1999 he decided to throw in the corporate towel and founded a charity called Room To Read, which has since built 200 schools, established 3000 libraries and donated 1.2 million books to children all over Asia. This is his truly remarkable story.

In 1998 John Wood was a rising executive at Microsoft. Then a trip to Nepal inspired him to change the world, one book and one child at a time. Having seen at first hand the lack of books in the schools, coupled with a burning desire to read, Wood decided to help.

Fuelled by the same drive that made him so successful at Microsoft, Wood used the business practices he had learned to create Room to Read, a stunningly effective charitable organization that has seen phenomenal growth and is now helping a million children in Asia.

In this book, Wood chronicles his life and work, from the start-up years at Microsoft, to his life-changing decision to leave, and includes the methods he uses to manage Room to Read with 'the efficiency of General Electric and the compassion of Mother Teresa.' Wood's story is an instructive primer on creating success on your own terms, and an inspiration for changing the world.

John spent most of his career running significant parts of Microsoft's international business. At age 35, he chose to leave Microsoft in the middle of his career to focus on bringing educational opportunities to poor communities. His passion is to combine the lessons he learned in the business world with the compassion and service ethic found in the non-profit arena. John holds a B.S. from the University of Colorado and a Masters in Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

'John's story is a spellbinding tale of transformation. one-third business saga, one-third world travelogue, and one-third human drama - a 100% great book.' Marc Andreessen, Cofounder, Netscape Communications