John Fairhurst

John Fairhurst is the Executive Director, Programmes at CIFF. He is a prize-winning Chartered Accountant with significant experience commercialising operations as well as overseeing multimillion dollar aid programs. John held a series of increasingly challenging accounting and finance positions during the 1980s, including playing a key role in a pharmaceutical company merger/acquisition valued at £3 billion. In 1997, he forged a new career direction, becoming Acting Finance Director for SEEDS, one of the world’s largest community banks. From there, he advanced rapidly within the international development sector to become Regional Director of Oxfam for East Africa in 2003, managing 600 staff in five countries. Prior to joining CIFF, John served as Finance Director/Company Secretary of Axordia Ltd., a company with commercial links in stem cell R&D. Since 2006, he also has served as a Trustee of the Mine Advisory Group, a co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for providing solutions in mine clearance and mine education in poverty stricken areas. John received both his MEng and BA degrees in Manufacturing Engineering from Cambridge University.