James is an Honours Graduate from Birmingham University and graduated in 2002 from the British Army’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.  During a 8 year military career as an officer in The Light Infantry, James took part in military operations in Iraq and Kosovo and also served in the UK, Central America, the Falklands, Africa and South East Asia.  Additionally he played an important ground liaison role in the evacuation of 4500 people from Beirut in 2005. On retiring from the military, James spent a year in Yemen as a security manager for a mining company before moving to the UAE with his family in 2010 to work for Etihad Airways as their senior manager for corporate security and as part of the Etihad Senior Manager Team responsible for airline operations and security in Abu Dhabi.  In this latter role he led, managed and developed a team operating the Middle East region’s first US Pre-Clearance Immigration Facility, working closely with US Department of Homeland Security and local UAE customs and law enforcement.
 
James joined Boeing in July 2016 as a Regional Security Advisor for the India Middle East & Africa Region based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, relocating back to the UK in July 2020 to cover global operations and compliance.  James was also the focal for Boeing’s High-Risk Travel program and Contingency Planning.  James joined Overwatch Aerospace in February 2022 as COO.