John Mackey

John Mackey is an entrepreneur and the co-founder and visionary of Whole Foods Market. In his 44 years of service as CEO, the natural and organic grocer grew from a single store in Austin, Texas, to 540 stores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada with annual sales exceeding $22 billion and more than 105,000 Team Members.

A pioneer of natural and organic foods and a passionate advocate for capitalism as a force for good, Mackey has also focused on building a more conscious way of doing business. His vision inspired the Whole Planet Foundation to help end poverty in developing nations, the Local Producer Loan Program to help local food producers expand their businesses, the Global Animal Partnership’s rating scale for humane farm animal treatment, and the Total Health Immersion program to promote health and wellness with Whole Foods Market Team Members.

A strong believer in free market principles, Mackey co-founded the Conscious Capitalism Movement and co-authored a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling book entitled "Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business" to boldly defend and reimagine capitalism, and encourage a way of doing business that is grounded in ethical consciousness. In his 2020 follow-up, “Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity through Business,” Mackey provided a roadmap for innovative, values-based leadership.

Mackey has been recognized as one of Fortune’s “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Winner for the United States,” Institutional Investor’s “Best CEO in America,” Barron’s “World’s Best CEO,” MarketWatch’s “CEO of the Year,” and Esquire’s “Most Inspiring CEO,” while Whole Foods Market was named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for” list for 20 consecutive years.

A mission-driven entrepreneur, Mackey is deeply passionate about the connection between food and health. He is co-author of “The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity” and “The Whole Foods Cookbook: 120 Delicious and Healthy Plant-Centered Recipes.” His latest business venture, Love.Life™ unites the power of nourishing food, holistic medical care, and precision wellness therapies to make optimal, lasting health and vitality achievable. Mackey announced his new role as co-founder and CEO of the company following his retirement from Whole Foods Market in September 2022.