I became a strategist by
doing it, not by design.
Nobody ever gave me the title. I had to earn it for myself. Twenty-plus years across culture, creative agencies, global brands and leadership teams was my unconventional education. It gave me a view of business, brand and the power of ideas from every side of the table.
Chapter One
Culture
I learned how to make people care.
Long before strategy was my profession, I was immersed in music and culture as a DJ, event producer and building small businesses around the things I loved.
I didn’t know it then, but I was learning the basics of how brands live in culture, how ideas create energy and give people a reason to buy in.
“James was always a creative visionary. Someone with the ability to think outside the box and push the boundaries of traditional marketing.”
- FORMER COLLEAGUE & Marketing Leader
Chapter Two
Agency
I learned the business of creativity from every angle.
Agency life blew the doors open for me. Coming up in high-growth, fast-moving environments, I cut my teeth in new business, strategy, creative, storytelling, integrated marketing, production and client leadership. That breadth became my advantage. It taught me to think at every altitude and make things happen on the ground.
"James gets it. He’s a strong brand visionary. An experienced, confident, and collaborative partner. The kind of guy who clients and creatives want across the table. His leadership style helps blur the lines between a client and their agency."
- AGENCY FOUNDER AND EVP, STRATEGY
Chapter Three
Brand Leadership
I discovered what I was made of, in the north.
Joining Canada Goose at a defining moment in its growth changed the trajectory of my career and my life. For the first time, I saw how far a story could travel when an organization truly got behind it. My work influenced culture, product, retail, community, citizenship and left fingerprints on the brand you can still feel today.
“He placed the authenticity of brand purpose at the heart of every marketing action, ensuring near-term success while future-proofing the brand.”
- Founding Partner and MANAGING DIRECTOR, CREATIVE AGENCY
Chapter Four
Global Brand Consulting
An inside strategy partner.
Today, I work alongside CEOs, founders, CMOs and leadership teams when the old ways have stopped working, to find clarity in the story and get people moving.
I do my best work in moments of uncertainty, misalignment and change. I don’t sit on the sidelines or work from a distance either. I get inside the problem, and the business, to make change happen from within.
“James’ impact is evident. Our brand soared to new heights under his leadership. He was a mentor to myself and others and truly cared about the human side of leadership, as much the the work itself.”
- Senior DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
No matter where I’ve worked, I’ve always believed the same thing.
When you give people something to believe in, they’ll run through walls for you.
That’s how I’ve led teams.
That’s how I’ve built brands.
That’s still the work I’m most interested in.