John Kingdom is an obstetrician clinician-scientist who has made seminal contributions to understanding the functions of the placenta in normal and pathologic pregnancies. He pioneered the model of a “placental clinic” for pregnant individuals that has been adopted by many centres worldwide. He has been elected to leadership roles in learned societies, built research teams, and fostered postgraduate training programs locally and in Western Kenya. He has served as advisor to governments, research organisations and academic perinatal programs. During his decade as Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Toronto, the Department has emerged as a global exemplar.