John has spent most of his career evaluating people. As an advisor to the Premier of Alberta, he was responsible for managing appointments to the province's 270+ agencies, boards, and commissions: a role that meant assessing senior candidates for some of the most sensitive positions in the provincial government.

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Before that, he worked in the wealth management industry and at a national non-profit, where he saw firsthand how the right leader can transform an organization and how the wrong one can set it back years.

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He founded Whittaker Talent Partnership to bring the same rigor and discretion to private-sector executive search that he applied to public-sector appointments. He holds an honours degree in Economics from Queen's University, and is the author of the first comprehensive biography of Calgary Stampede founder George Lane — a project that reflects his belief that understanding who people are, and where they come from, matters.