John Chuang co-founded Aquent in 1986 while still an undergraduate at Harvard University. Within five years John built the business from a small Harvard Square storefront to the twelfth-fastest-growing private company in America, and today, to a $400 million business with 70 offices across 18 countries.
Since forming the company, John has been widely recognized as a leader in the staffing industry. In 1992 Aquent was the first national staffing firm to offer comprehensive medical and retirement benefits to temporary employees. John’s break-the-rules approach continued most recently with the introduction of Aquent Talent Bridge, a structured way for marketing organizations to systematically try out talent on an hourly basis before hiring them permanently. The New York Times called John a “pioneer” and Fast Company concluded in its cover story on the company, “If you want to chart the economy’s future, look at where Aquent is going.”
John additionally has been featured on CBS This Morning, NPR's Connection and CNBC and in Forbes, Inc., and other business and general media publications. He has been listed in the Boston Business Journal's "40 Under 40" and Transpacific magazine's "Top 10 Under 40" and "100 Great Asian-American Entrepreneurs." He was a finalist for the America’s Entrepreneur Award and won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, New England region. John has written op-ed pieces for Inc., the Boston Globe, the Boston Business Journal, and Staffing Industry Report. He has given the keynote address for the staffing industry’s annual Executive Forum and has been a guest speaker at Harvard Business School.
John serves as a board member for Angie's List, a consumer advocacy network, and also for CareerSoft. He served as a board member of the American Staffing Association, AIGA, and the Recycling Advisory Committee for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and as president of the Massachusetts Association of Staffing Services.
John earned a bachelor's degree cum laude from Harvard College in 1987 and an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School in 1992, while serving as the company’s chief executive officer. |
