John Vardalos

Background

About John Vardalos

I am the Founder and CEO of J5, a design firm focused on helping large public serving institutions rediscover their purpose and scale positive social change. Since founding J5 in 2013, I have worked with healthcare systems, governments, non-profits, and mission driven corporations that carry significant responsibility and untapped potential.I believe the most effective way to create lasting impact is by working with institutions that already serve thousands, and often millions, of people. Their scale gives them influence, but their complexity naturally distances them from the people they exist to serve. By working alongside leaders and frontline teams to restore clarity and focus on the moments that matter to both people receiving services and those responsible for delivering them, J5 brings a design-led approach aimed at realigning strategy, culture, and experience around human needs, behaviours and rapidly changing expectations.I am also a proud recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for my contributions to social innovation and I have received a Global Service Design Award from Helsinki for leading an internationally recognized social housing transformation grounded in lived experience. In addition, I am the co-founder of the United Way of Calgary Social Impact Lab, a signature initiative led by United Way created to advance collaborative approaches to complex social challenges.A frequent speaker and advisor to leaders and teams, I encourage organizations to treat innovation as a capability not an activity so institutions deliver the kindness they were created to provide, at the scale the need to create meaningful impact.