About me

Where I make a difference

Organisation | Leadership | People Function | Culture & Change

I've sat on both sides of the table.

Corporate depth. High-growth experience. Entrepreneurial mindset.

I know when to coach, when to advise – and when to roll up my sleeves and help make the change happen.

Corporate leadership

30+ years

Leading people, organisation development and transformation – helping run businesses, not just HR – across complex global organisations. Lived and worked in the UK, Europe, USA & Asia. French speaking.

Growth + transformation

PE, SMEs & Corporate

C-Suite experience spanning FTSE corporates, high-growth PE-backed firms and SME/mutual organisations – where pace, pragmatism and commercial judgement matter.

Entrepreneurial experience

Built + sold

Co-founded, scaled and sold my own business – bringing an owner’s perspective as well as corporate experience to the conversation.

Where I make a difference

Organisation Design & Effectiveness

Make the organisation work better.

Align structure, capability and ways of working to strategy – enabling growth, performance and transformation.

Leadership Potential

Help good leaders become even better.

Executive coaching, leadership-team effectiveness, facilitation and honest conversations that unlock individual and collective potential.

People Function Transformation

Build a People function the business actually needs.

Cut through process, sharpen purpose and create a more commercial, progressive and effective People function.

Purposeful Culture & Change

Make change human – and make it stick.

Create clarity of purpose, shift mindsets and behaviours, and bring people with you through meaningful, sustainable change.

What I believe

Purpose before policy.
Pragmatism before process.
People and performance before corporate theatre.

What you get

Curious.
Courageous.
Pragmatic.
Low ego.
High energy.

And focused on making a difference.

What leaders say

Three perspectives on how I work — and the impact I bring.

“James is an outstanding People leader. He provided support and candid feedback. I would recommend him highly particularly if you are facing a transformation agenda and people changes.”

Sue Hayes

CEO, Nottingham Building Society

“James brought a clear, analytical and pragmatic mindset which was outcomes-focused in delivering tangible results and activating change. He has excellent stakeholder management skills which helped remove potential friction points.”

Andrew Greenwood

Deputy CEO, Leeds Building Society

“James has real passion and drive. He is engaging, open, collaborative and participative with high energy and a high impact style. He thinks strategically and looks at things with a future-focused lens.”

Nigel Fretwell

Former CHRO, Swiss Re

Let's talk about where you need it most.

Start with the challenge rather than the service.