John Riordan in

John Riordan

Pioneer · DISC type IDS
Chair of the Board of Trustees at Sanctuary Runners
📍 Cork, County Cork, Ireland

John is a seasoned customer services leader and board member with executive experience at Shopify, Apple, and Virgin Atlantic. He now serves as a board director and advisor for companies like Athletics Ireland and Otonomee, leveraging his expertise in remote work and team building. People often describe him as professional, personable, and an encouraging leader.

Outside of his board duties, John is passionate about community and sport. He is the Chairman of Sanctuary Runners, an organization promoting solidarity with refugees through running, a sport he has been involved with since 2018. In 2010, he returned to his hometown of Cork with his family.

He was an early pioneer of remote work, creating home-based customer support solutions in the early 2000s, long before it became a global trend.

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Experience
4 Years
Current Role
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Location
Cork, County Cork, Ireland
Personality Overview

How John shows up

Driven But Considerate
Dynamic But Sincere
Decisive But Friendly

They combine a unique set of diverse traits where they are fast and friendly but can slow down to be thorough when needed If they are convinced, they can become very strong champions for your product They have the unique ability to win both love and respect from their team (or outsiders)

Priorities

Topics John cares about

Remote Work Advocacy
As Chairman of Grow Remote and an evangelist for over 20 years, he actively promotes remote-first work cultures built on trust and local community impact.
Community & Inclusion
He is the Chairman of Sanctuary Runners, a non-profit that uses running to foster solidarity and inclusion for refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland.
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Career

Work history

12-2025
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Sanctuary Runners
7-2025
Board Member
Athletics Ireland
3-2022
Board Member
Otonomee
2-2022
Board Member
Boundless
2-2021 - 3-2025
Chairman
Grow Remote
In the press

Media appearances

Athletics Ireland Board Members. Featured in Athletics Ireland
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New Athletics Ireland Board. Featured in Athletics Ireland
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Education
1984 - 1988
Bachelor of Commerce
University College Cork
1988 - 1989
Masters of Business Studies
University College Dublin
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

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Influence (I)

Influence (I) reflects the degree to which a person prefers to work by influencing or persuading others. Those scoring high tend to be people oriented, motivated by social recognition and building relationships.

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