February 01, 2010

John Wright ’83

2009
Donald G. Balmer Citation
John Wright is the Chief Executive Officer of Global Sage, a specialist financial-services search practice with significant operations in New York, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The firm was founded in 1998 by Mr. Wright, who has grown the company to be a global industry leader serving the world’s best financial services companies and their CEOs. Global Sage is currently ranked as the No. 1 search firm in Asia-Pacific and the fifth best boutique in Europe.

Mr. Wright began his career as a financial journalist with The Wall Street Journal, where he became the news editor for Asia-Pacific. He covered such stories as the Afghan War and Tiananmen Square Massacre. Mr. Wright then became a founding member of Executive Access, where he built the financial services business and expanded the platform to encompass the globe. With his extensive recruiting experience in investment banking, capital markets and principal investments, Mr. Wright has recruited executives at the highest levels in most every geography. He regularly speaks to the leading CEOs and advises them on talent acquisition as well as corporate partners and targets acquisitions.

Mr. Wright has a bachelor degree in cultural anthropology and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. Mr. Wright is a native of Minnesota and has two sons studying in North America. He has served on the Board of Trustees at Lewis & Clark and The Board of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. He is Treasurer of the AESC Asia-Pacific and head of the Japan Council. He is also a member of the President’s Council for the Asia Society.