John Wood aged 51, was a police officer for 30 years with Staffordshire Police. After a period of front line operational policing in North Staffordshire he progressed to become the Divisional Commander for Stafford in 1993 where he served for 2 years before returning to Stoke. In 1997 he was promoted to the new post of Divisional Commander for the City of Stoke-on-Trent based at Hanley responsible for 800 officers and staff. In this role John was extensively involved with a range of communities and an active member of many of the key strategic partnerships in North Staffordshire.

John has since embarked on a second career and trained to become an Estate Planning Consultant offering Wills and associated services. He is a member of a number of business networks including the North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

John is a member of The Hanley's audit and compliance sub-committee and currently lives in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He is married with two children and has a keen interest in most sports.