John has led Five Guys Joint Venture (JV) since 2014, with responsibility for the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. The position arose over time though Eckbert’s connection, as he studied at the London School of Economics, with Sir Charles Dunstone, who later became the United Kingdom's first tech billionaire. The two stayed in touch as Eckbert first pursued a career in finance, including stints in private equity, and work building a boutique mergers and acquisitions investment bank in the US.