John David Ward was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 27 April 1962. As a player, he batted right-handed and bowled right-arm offbreak before moving into officiating.
Ward made his international umpiring debut on 28 January 2013 during a Twenty20 match between Australia and Sri Lanka. He went on to stand in eight men's T20 internationals between 2013 and 2016, and seven men's ODIs between 2014 and 2016. His international career also covered the women's game, featuring 11 women's ODIs between 2007 and 2016 and six women's T20 internationals between 2007 and 2017.
Across the wider domestic and professional game, Ward stood in 87 first-class matches, 84 List A games, and 117 Twenty20 fixtures. In April 2020, he announced his retirement from elite umpiring.
During a Ranji Trophy game on 1 December 2015, a shot hit by Barinder Sran struck Ward directly on the head.