James Thorne has over 25 years of global experience as a business leader with different professional service organizations in Europe, USA, Asia and North Africa. During his career, he has managed and participated in change initiatives for many leading organizations across the world.
A frequent speaker on the subjects of leadership, business strategy, marketing and brand management, James is known as an inspirational facilitator and coach and is in his element working with senior management as well as multi-cultural teams.
In 1985, James was a Founding Partner at Strat*X, a Paris-based training consultancy specializing in business strategy and marketing programs based on business simulations. At Strat*X, James led project teams responsible for the design, development, and delivery of action-oriented Management Development programs for over 50 leading companies across almost every sector of business in some 40 different countries. From 1988 until 1998, James was Managing Director of Strat*X, during which time he was responsible for group strategy, operations, recruitment, quality, and business development. While at Strat*X, James set up and managed subsidiary offices for the company in Boston in 1989 and in London in 1992. James has also taught on Executive Programmes at INSEAD (France), Ashridge, MCE and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). In 1989, he received Top Faculty ratings at GE’s Management Development Center at Crotonville, New York.
In 1998, James founded Market Focus Ltd., an international consultancy providing executive training and coaching to blue-chip organizations. He has built substantial experience in working with feedback instruments such as 360 degree surveys, Myers-Briggs, Firo-B, Learning Styles, Leadership Derailer and Team Climate surveys and in
helping executives to understand the significance of these and put into place appropriate action plans.
Over the last three years, he has worked with senior leaders at companies such as: Air Liquide, AngloAmerican, ArcelorMittal, Balfour Beatty, BG Group, Bosch, BP, Coca-Cola, DaimlerChrysler, Dow Chemical, Dubai Government, Equate, Ericsson, HeidelbergCement, Nokia Siemens, Novartis, Rio Tinto, RWE, Saudi Aramco, St. Gobain & Volkswagen.
Over his career James has worked in 49 different countries, including several major projects in the Middle East (Libyan National Economic Strategy, Telecoms in Dubai and Egypt, Oil Company in Saudi Arabia, etc.) James also provides Strategic Marketing consultation to a small number of companies, which are looking to target customers more effectively, develop their offering and grow their business through differentiation.
James has an MBA with Honours from INSEAD (France) and an MA in Modern Languages from Cambridge University. He is bilingual English/French and speaks fluent German, as well as a little Arabic.
