About the Speaker

John Furlong is widely known as a true champion for amateur sport in Canada and his belief in the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. His account of leading the 2010 Games and the challenges and opportunities he faced before and since are both deeply personal and characteristically frank. Through masterful storytelling, he inspires audiences to develop a more humble, human, raw and emotional approach to leadership.

Together with Jack Poole, John led the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games from the beginning of the bid through to the closing ceremonies. Relentless in his pursuit to deliver a Games that would touch every Canadian, he became the face and voice of the Games that would change the country forever.

John continues to draw on his business acumen and commitment to sport in Canada as the Chairman of Vancouver's highly successful Canada Sevens Rugby Tournament. He also serves on the Board of Directors for a number of other corporations and charitable organizations.

Always a passionate ambassador for Canada, John has been recognized with numerous awards and honours including the Order of Canada; Order of British Columbia; multiple Honorary Doctorate Degrees; Canadian of the year; Marketer of the Year and Sport Executive of the Year. In 2011 John was voted by Cisco and the Globe and Mail as one of the top 25 most transformational Canadians alive.