Major General (Rtd) John
Howard MNZM

General John Howard is a retired military leader who advises boards and senior executives on strategy, risk and organisational performance.

John helps executive teams navigate complex, high-stakes environments. With a calm, strategic lens, he aligns risk and strategy for clear decision-making, drawing on extensive experience in domestic and global defence, intelligence and national security. John has held several senior military leadership roles in NZ, from Commanding Officer Infantry Regiment, through to the inaugural Chief Defence Intelligence, where he was responsible for shaping the NZ Defence Forces strategic intelligence enterprise. In this role, John also served as a principal across a full range of Five Eyes intelligence boards and at the highest level of Military Intelligence NATO.

Globally, John held a significant appointment as the Deputy Director for Commonwealth Integration in the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. In this role, he was the only non-US executive officer serving across 18 US Intelligence agencies. Before that, he also served as a senior national officer at U.S Central Command. These positions embedded him deeply within the U.S. and Five Eyes Intelligence Community, working through the most demanding global security problems of the day. Alongside his operational and intelligence experience, John has led sensitive work with other international governmental organisations at the highest levels, building extensive global networks across defence, security, diplomatic and multilateral institutions, including NATO.

John holds a Master Management & International Defence Studies/ Master Strategic Studies. He is a graduate of the Company Directors Course from the Institute of Directors NZ. John was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his strategic leadership. He was presented the US Legion of Merit from the US Secretary of Defence and has twice been awarded the US Meritorious Service Medal.