James has been a trustee of Build on Belief since February 2018.

He currently works at FGS Global, a communications and strategic advisory firm, where he is Chief-of-Staff to the Global Chair and helps companies with their corporate reputation and stakeholder management.

Before that, James spent eight years at HSBC, where he worked in the Office of the Group CEO and as Chief of Staff to the Global Chief Communications Officer. His time there was focused on supporting the Group CEO’s leadership of the bank, including strategy delivery and stakeholder engagement, as well as developing the bank’s new Global Communications Strategy and co-leading a review into their approach to Sustainability.

James has a background in public policy, researching and publishing two major reports – one on the UK’s relationship with the European Union and one on access to finance. He has also spent time at an African development charity, working for a think tank, and in the UK Parliament.

His weekends are often spent on the phone trying (unsuccessfully) to get 11 players out on the pitch for his Sunday league team – or in motorway service stations on the way to watch Arsenal up and down the country.