James left full-time corporate life at the end of 2023 after an international career in marketing and commercial management, living in New York, Singapore, Toronto, Amsterdam, Brussels and London. He is a Senior Advisor for Boston Consulting Group, coaches senior executives, partners in leadership development programmes, and advises a number of early-stage companies.
His last corporate role was Chief Commercial Officer at Heineken NV, previously having been Chief Brand, Beauty and Stores Officer at Avon plc (later part of Natura & Co), where for a time he was also General Manager of Avon in China. He held a number of senior roles at Diageo for nearly 25 years, including President, Global Reserve (luxury portfolio), and Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer both in North America and in Asia Pacific. The first 10 years of his career were in marketing roles at Unilever.
James is a Fellow of Judge Business School at Cambridge University, and of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. He is on the Advisory Board of Peace One Day.
James has been married to Kiurstan for over 30 years; they have two adult daughters. He lives in London and also spends a lot of time based in Stamford, Connecticut. He loves music (is learning orchestral conducting!), football (West Ham United) and cricket, books, travel and wine
