James was appointed in August 2021. Prior to joining the Board, he was Chief Executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce for 15 years, and Chair of Darlington Building Society until December 2017.
Previously, James was Vice Chair of North East construction firm, the Esh Group, and before this spent 14 years in Corporate Banking in Barclays Bank plc.
He was a soldier for 12 years with the Royal Green Jackets and benefited from executive education at Harvard (USA), INSEAD (France), and Oxford University, after graduating from Durham University.
James is the Chair of Newcastle Strategic Solutions Limited as well as being Chair of the Society’s Nominations and Governance Committee. During 2024 he was the Chair of the Group Technology & Change Committee. Until September 2024, he was the Chair of Newcastle Financial Advisors Limited.
He is also a Pro-Chancellor of Sunderland University (2016); made an Honorary Fellow of the Association of International Accountants (FAIA Hon.) (2017); and made a CBE for services to business and the North East economy in the 2019 New Year’s Honours.
“Having been part of the mutual sector in various guises I am deeply committed to the unique way in which we can be catalysts for positive change in our communities.”