John Beard led the World Health Organization’s work on ageing and life course for ten years, from 2009. He now works as a change agent with academia, policymakers, and the private sector to make the world a better place in which to live and age. He has a number of ongoing formal appointments including as Chief Advisor to EIT Health (the European Institute for Innovation and Technology); a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council on Human Enhancement and Longevity; visiting academic positions at universities in China and Australia; and a number of private sector initiatives related to population aging.  Prior to commencing with WHO, he was Senior Epidemiologist at the New York Academy of Medicine, a clinical professor at the University of Sydney, and manager of Public Health for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.