James became chief executive officer of Whiteoaks in 2013, following a management buyout of the business. With overall responsibility for the management of Whiteoaks, he provided high level strategic and consultative guidance to major clients and their senior internal stakeholders. In 2021 he spearheaded the move to transform Whiteoaks International into an employee-owned business. He stepped down as CEO in 2023, moving into the role of non-executive director on the Whiteoaks board, providing counsel and support to the business.


James has been providing communications consultancy to a wide range of clients across the IT, telecoms, B2B and professional services sectors for more than 20 years.