Garry John undertook specialist training in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham and at various hospitals within the West Midlands Region in the UK. Following training his first consultant job was at the Royal London Hospital before moving to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where he has held several positions including; Clinical Director, Director of Research, Associate Medical Director all in addition to being Head of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, a position he held for 18 years before recently standing down. He is also Honorary Professor at The Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich (UK). His research interests are mainly in the field of diabetes with a special focus on protein glycation. He has chaired several committees within the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) most notably he chaired the IFCC Working Group on HbA1c standardisation, this committee successfully developed a reference measurement procedure to enable manufacturers to achieve global standardisation of HbA1c measurements. He is now chairman of the IFCC Committee on Education in the use of Biomarkers in Diabetes; this committee will focus on improving the understanding of laboratory aspects of diabetes and promote education of diabetes especially in developing countries. In his various roles within the IFCC he has worked closely with a number of National and International Diabetes organisations and has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation. He has played a central role in establishing HbA1c as a diagnostic test, and is the author of the diagnostic guidelines within the UK. He has published more than 100 papers in refereed journals, edited two books and authored six book chapters.