For someone who walked away from a career at Microsoft which would have made him a multimillionaire, John Wood looks like a happy man. In 1999, aged 35, he turned his back on Bill Gates' empire after a hiking trip to Nepal that convinced him to dedicate his time, money and business contacts to building schools and libraries for underprivileged children.
Now, just six years after that life-changing trip, his organisation, Room to Read, has opened 2,300 libraries and 140 schools throughout Asia, is constructing another 60 schools, has donated 1.2 million books and given scholarships to 1,750 girls who otherwise would have received no schooling.
The big business deals and megabytes that encompassed his working days at Microsoft have now been replaced by bricks and mortar, books and fundraising.
Visiting Hong Kong last week to drum up more interest and cash for Room to Read - he raised $4.3 million in a wine auction - and to fulfil some speaking engagements, Mr Wood says this is now his life's work.
Smiling the contented smile of a man who has found his niche in life, he said: 'This is it. I've found my path. In the first couple of years, I worried if this was something I would stick to, but sometimes in life you're lucky enough to find something that's tailor-made for you. I think this is a long-term battle and I'm in it for the long haul.
'People in 50 or 60 countries could use these types of programmes. It's a long road ahead for us. In a decade, a lot of kids who started Room to Read in kindergarten or first grade will finish school and it's only then that we'll see how those kids have turned out and what they do with their lives.'