John McLeod

John McLeod co-founded JBWere Philanthropic Services in 2001 following 16 years as a financial analyst and manager of the Resource Research group within the firm’s top-ranked strategy team.

John is widely recognised for his research and thought leadership in the for-purpose and philanthropy sectors. He has authored and co-authored numerous influential reports, including Impact – Australia (2013), which explored the practice and growth potential of impact investing, and Growing Impact in New Zealand. He also wrote The Cause Report, examining the evolution of Australia’s not-for-profit sector over the past two decades and its future trajectory.

Since 2016, John has compiled the annual list of Australia’s major philanthropists for the Australian Financial Review’s Philanthropy 50. His other notable publications include The Support Report (2018), which analysed significant trends in Australian giving, and the JBWere NAB Charitable Giving Index, providing insights into giving patterns during COVID. More recently, he authored The Corporate Support Report (2022) and co-authored AFR Boss magazine’s annual ranking of Australia’s top 50 companies for corporate community investment since 2019. John also authored The Bequest Report in 2024 focussed on the Intergenerational wealth transfer and its effect on the for-purpose sector.