James has worked in audio since 1989 as an award-winning writer, radio presenter, and internet strategist. In 2005, He launched the world’s first streaming radio smartphone app for the original Virgin Radio in London, launching the first daily podcast from a UK radio station earlier that year. In 2007 he joined the BBC, achieving a dramatic increase in the audio quality of the BBC’s online radio streams, and heading up the team that re-architected the BBC’s websites for tv and radio programmes. A founder of the open hybrid radio technology association RadioDNS, James has also contributed to the open Podcasting 2.0 project.

Part of the team that laid the foundations for Radioplayer, he has since worked for a variety of businesses across the world. A co-founder, with Matt Deegan, of Next Radio, the UK radio ideas conference, James has worked with the world’s largest radio conference, Radiodays Europe, since its inception. He has also helped program Radiodays Asia and Podcast Day 24, as well as being on the advisory board for The Podcast Show London for its first four years. In 2025, James was awarded the inaugural Ambies International Impact Award from The Podcast Academy. He is an Associate Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and was made an Honorary Life Member of the UK’s Student Radio Association. At Virgin Radio, he helped the team win two Webby Awards in 2005 (both the judges’ Webby Winner and the People’s Voice winner).