CV

The first job James had was as editor of Design magazine, a glossy colour monthly. In the late 1980s he was head of research at the international designers Fitch.

In the early and mid 1990s, James led consulting in IT at the Henley Centre, part of the WPP Group. There he also advised major UK cities – London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester – on international competitiveness. He then went on to manage worldwide market intelligence for Philips consumer electronics in the Netherlands, and to work as a director of the product designers Seymour Powell. He went independent in 2001.

James helps clients to master new trends in society and innovation, so as to implement major shifts in corporate strategy, marketing, branding and design. He frequently broadcasts about the future of the workplace on Radio 4’s You and Yours, and writes a regular column for IT Week (London) and Novo (Frankfurt). He is also on the editorial boards of New Design and the Journal of Consumer Behaviour.