After a career as a telecommunications officer in the British Army, James joined the Swire Group in 1990 in Hong Kong.

He then spent 8 years on the international management team of Cathay Pacific Airways. Living and working across Asia, James performed roles in marketing, HR, and government relations before taking up the position as General Manager of airline operations in Africa and the Indian Ocean. He left the corporate world to study Mandarin at BLCU in Beijing, followed by two post-graduate degrees in the UK in psychology and occupational psychology.

In 2006 he set up China Select, a psychometrics company based in Shanghai and Beijing, where he is currently a director and partner. He is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society, an affiliate member of the American Psychological Association, and founder of the Shanghai Network of Business Psychologists