James helps high-growth ventures navigate operational complexity, compliance regulations, and risk management while maintaining excellence at scale. He brings 25+ years building enterprise risk and governance infrastructure for multi-billion dollar organisations across Europe and MENA, delivering proven frameworks, not theory. James embeds systems that enable rapid market entry/exit, protect enterprise value, and turn regulatory challenges into competitive advantage for A8's portfolio ventures.

• Strategic Advisory: Advised CEO/COO on $95M in infrastructure projects, delivering on time and under budget while building key regulatory relationships across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
• Regulatory & Compliance: Established Group DPO and led GDPR/ISO 27001 implementation across 14 countries, creating industry-benchmark compliance and business continuity frameworks (ISO 22301).
• Operational Excellence: Reduced stock loss by 30% and improved inventory accuracy by 25% through standardised controls and supply chain system integration.
• Enterprise Transformation: Delivered $33M+ in operational efficiencies and led award-winning, cross-cultural teams of 100+ professionals.
• Digital Risk & Innovation: Launched AI-powered fraud prevention for 100+ e-commerce platforms, saving $1.5M, and built and developed corporate cybersecurity training, adhering to ISO standards.

• Former Executive Director Alshaya Group, 25+ years risk & compliance
• Led award-winning, cross-cultural teams across multiple juristictions
• Embedded resilient frameworks for hypergrowth ventures
• Retail, supply chain & FMCG expertise across UK, Europe & MENA

James leverages his deep cultural intelligence, gained from a career spanning Europe and the Middle East, to navigate complex cross-border challenges.

• Multi-Jurisdictional Operations: Built compliance and governance frameworks across 17 countries, balancing global standards with local regulatory requirements in diverse markets including those with complex geopolitical environments.
• Regulatory Partnerships: Established trusted relationships with government agencies and regulators across Europe, Middle East, and Africa to expedite compliance and enable market entry.
• Crisis Management: Led business continuity through geopolitical disruptions including market exits (Syria, Tunisia, Russia) while maintaining operational integrity and stakeholder confidence.

Outside of the boardroom, James is a passionate football fan, both as a player and a spectator. He also enjoys the gym and is an aspiring golfer, currently focused on the formidable challenge of beating his 10-year-old son on the course.