Sir John Kirwan 'JK'
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Sir John Kirwan, or JK as we know him, is a globally recognised mental health advocate, author, entrepreneur, and a rugby legend
Sir John Kirwan, or JK as we know him, is a globally recognised mental health advocate, author, entrepreneur, and a rugby legend. He's the co-founder of Groov, the workplace science platform designed to lift people and perfomance.
Groov's mission is to deliver performance care to 100 million employees within their daily flow of work. Groov integrates to familiar tools like Slack, MS Teams, Office 365 and Salesforce to surface the right support at the right time, driving engagement, lowering attrition and lifting employee performance.
In 2012, JK was knighted for his services to mental health – an honour he strives to live up to every day. He’s long been at the forefront of public campaigns about mental wellbeing. JK was one of the first high profile athletes to help normalise conversations about mental health, and that vulnerability has paved the way for others to open up about their own experiences. Many people also know JK as a sporting legend. He played 63 test matches for the All Blacks from 1984 to 1994 and was part of the winning 1987 Rugby World Cup team. He also played for the Warriors and had success as a rugby coach, including on the international stage with Italy and Japan.
JK is a family man who likes nothing better than to surf, cook, and make a perfect cup of coffee. He lives in Auckland with his wife, Fiorella. They have three children, now grown and pursuing their dreams throughout the world.