James is a specialist consultant with over 25 years' experience in the arts and cultural sector. His expertise lies in visioning, delivering, and operating large-scale arts and museum developments.  Until 2022, James served as CEO of Chargeurs Museum Studio UK (CMS), the largest group of specialist design, production, and project management companies in the museums and exhibition sector.

 

Before joining CMS, James was CEO of Event – the global leader in exhibition design – from 2007 until its sale to the Chargeurs Group in 2021. Following the acquisition, James became the CEO of Chargeurs’ UK operations. Under his leadership, he expanded the company from its UK base into a globally-active business with over 60 specialists in architecture, 2D/3D design, content/research professionals, and project managers, with offices in London, Dublin, Muscat and Riyadh.

 

James has led significant museum and arts projects, including Titanic Belfast, the Museum of the History of the Polish Jews - POLIN - the European Museum of the Year winner in collaboration with Lahdelma & Mahlamäki, the new Carlsberg visitor center in Copenhagen and projects such as the Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library, the National Army Museum in Chelsea and Moscow’s Polytechnic Museum, and The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Scotland. He has worked extensively in the Middle East, contributing to the development of Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, alongside Foster + Partners and the British Museum, the Opportunity Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, and Oman Across Ages Museum.

 

Before joining Event, James was a management consultant at EY, where he developed a passion for the arts and cultural sector while working on consultancy assignments for London's South Kensington museums. He established a specialist financial, operational, and market-oriented consultancy focused on masterplanning, feasibility testing and economic modeling for arts and cultural attractions.

 

His firm, Locum, became Europe's leading advisor to the destination sector with offices in London, Madrid and San Francisco, advising on major mixed-use developments, including London’s South Bank, Salford’s Lowry Arts Centre and Theatre and Barcelona’s Port Vell. He also led development programs at various national institutions, such as the Royal Academy, British Film Institute, British Museum, V&A Museum and London’s National Museum of Science and Industry. James is deeply committed to delivering excellence in the cultural sector and continues to contribute to projects internationally, combining creative, technical, operational and financial experience to project teams.

 

He serves as a Non-Executive Director for two specialist design companies and previously sat on the board of one of UK Government's Urban Regeneration Companies responsible for the regeneration of the UK's north-west region.