John Wood worked at Microsoft from 1991 to 1999 in various marketing and business development roles. In 1998, while on vacation in Nepal, he visited a remote village school and was struck by the lack of books available to students. After returning home, he started Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that has since established over 7,500 libraries, published 6 million books, built 830 schools, and funded over 8,800 scholarships for girls, impacting the lives of over 3.1 million students worldwide. John has received several awards for his work growing Room to Read into an award-winning global nonprofit organization.

1. John Wood

3. At age 35, John Wood did just that - quitting his position as Microsoft's Director of Business Development for the Greater China Region in order to found Room to Read. He has never looked back .

8. Done by jit sheng, stefan and chin ho