James lives outside Edinburgh with his family and a growing number of grandchildren. An audit and accounting specialist, James led Deloitte in Scotland and Northern Ireland before becoming Managing Partner of Audit & Risk Advisory and Chief Operating Officer of its business in Switzerland. He has worked with global companies across a number of industry sectors, advising them on their corporate reporting, financial assurance and risk management strategies. He therefore has direct experience of how companies manage the impact of their businesses on the communities and environments in which they operate, as well as how they are adapting their business models to address their environmental, social and corporate governance responsibilities.

An honorary professor at Adam Smith Business School in Glasgow and a part-time PhD student, James is Chair of the Audit Committee at Macfarlane Group PLC, and a Trustee of RS Macdonald Charitable Trust. He is also a member of the Research Panel of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and has participated in a number of working groups focused on the future of corporate reporting, including areas of sustainability and environmental impact. When not working, James is a keen reader, traveller and (very amateur) guitar-player.