John was born into a farming family in 1940. His claim to fame is that he developed The National Sheep Association (NSA). He was awarded an OBE in 2005 and is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies.
He has some notable awards within the industry, including The National Agricultural Award from the Royal Agricultural Socirty of England in 2006, the Bicentennial award from the Royal Smithfield Club in 2003. The George Hedley Memorial Award from National Sheep Association in 1988 and the Giovanni Marcora Prize from the Italian Governement for services to European sheep farming as well as a gold medal from the Farmers Union of Wales
Nicholas has been Managing Director of Condé Nast, the glossy magazine publishers, for 21 years. A former journalist and editor, he is also the author of fourteen books, both fiction and non-fiction.
He has been Chairman of the British Fashion Council and Chairman of the PPA, the Magazine Publishers' Association. He has been involved with several initiatives for The Prince's Trust, including Fashion Rocks, the international fundraiser. He was made CBE in 2009. He lives in Worcestershire and London.