John Powell Mackey is an American businessman and writer. He is the CEO of Whole Foods Market, which he co-founded in 1980. He co-wrote the bestselling book Conscious Capitalism, which was released in 2013. He was a vegetarian for 30 years, now identifies as a vegan. He advocates tougher animal standards.
About John Mackey (businessman) in brief
John Powell Mackey is an American businessman and writer. He is the CEO of Whole Foods Market, which he co-founded in 1980. He co-wrote the bestselling book Conscious Capitalism, which was released in 2013. Mackey was born on August 15, 1953, in Houston, Texas, the son of Margaret Wescott and William Sturges \”Bill\” Mackey, Jr. He has a sister and a brother. John Mackey’s father Bill was a professor of accounting, CEO of LifeMark, a health-care company, and investor of Whole foods Market, before he died in 2004. John and Margaret had a strained relationship, partly due to her desire for a different future regarding her son. Margaret felt that such a “fine mind” should devote its time doing something more productive than retailing. John did not agree, but in later years he regretted that he did not make it more clear that he loved her. He credits his generalist approach to learning as the main reason he was able to be successful in business. He was a vegetarian for 30 years, now identifies as a vegan. He advocates tougher animal standards. Despite Whole Foods’ welfare standards, Mackey has been criticized by abolitionist vegans such as Gary L. Francione, who believes the Whole Foods company policies betray the animal rights position. In 2006 Mackey announced he would donate his salary to USD 1 a year, reducing his stock portfolio to charity, and set up a USD 100,000 emergency fund for staff facing personal problems.
He wrote: I am now 53 years old and I have reached a place in my life for which I simply want to no longer work for money, but for charity, which I no longer want to work for. In 2007 Whole Foods purchased a major natural foods supermarket competitor, Wild Oats Markets, Inc. Mackey serves on multiple nonprofit boards of directors – including Students For Liberty, Global Animal Partnership, Conscious Capitalism and the Humane Society of the United States. He started a non-profit foundation, the Animal Compassion Foundation, to address making animal welfare more economically viable. In 2008, he is a board member of the Board of Directors of Global Animal partnership, a nonprofit organization that is independent of the Global Market Market. He also sits on the board of directors of Farm Forward, an organization that implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food choices, reduce food choices and advance sustainable agriculture, and advance animal welfare. He studied issues related to factory farming and decided to switch to a primarily vegan diet that included only eggs from his own chickens. Since 2006, he has followed an entirely plant-based diet. In 2003, he was named Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year in 2003, and is one of the most influential advocates in the movement for organic food.
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