Jeff Knott was born in England and educated at Loughborough College. After immigrating to the United States, he received a Masters Degree at Western Kentucky University and an Executive MBA at the University of South Florida. He participated in the Harvard Business School’s Multinational Marketing Senior Executive Program in Vesey, Switzerland.
He spent 20 years with Johnson and Johnson, in their Professional Products Division, identifying and developing international distributorships. For a time he was based in Brazil before becoming International Marketing Director, Professional Products Division. He visited on business over 100 countries during his career at Johnson and Johnson.
Following this career he became President of Jim Walter International Corporation, where he successfully managed the building materials company outside the United States. His career at Jim Walter was followed with his appointment as Vice President, International of Rooms To Go Corporation – currently a leading U.S. furniture retailer.
Jeff has great experience in both healthcare and retail worldwide. He has lectured as a visiting professor at a number of universities, appeared on a variety of TV programs, and has spoken on international subjects.
He is a member of a number of boards, including the University of Tampa’s Board of Trustees. He was selected to the Business Leaders Council for the William Gates, Sr. Initiative for Global Development (IGD) – a national alliance of business leaders that champions effective solutions to global poverty. The organization was founded in 2003 with William Gates, Sr. as one of the founders.
His overall passion for healthcare, which he has observed worldwide, along with his personal health experiences, has culminated in his personal commitment to make a difference.
Currently Jeff is co-chairman of Healthy Together –- a coalition dedicated to making Tampa Bay, Florida a better place to live by promoting healthy living and removing barriers to wellness.
