John Palmer qualified as a Chartered Accountant, winning the B.C. Gold Medal. Following a career with KPMG, including a term as Deputy Chairman and Managing Partner of the Canadian firm, he served for seven years as Superintendent of Financial Institutions in Canada and for three years as Deputy Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, responsible for the supervision of banks and insurance firms.

He has served on the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision and the Financial Stability Forum, and on the Council on Corporate Disclosure and Governance and the Board of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority in Singapore. John is currently Chairman of the Toronto International Leadership Centre for Financial Sector Supervision and a director of the Central Provident Fund Board.