James Hardy is an authority on retail globalisation, ecommerce and online growth strategies. He specialises in working with brands to future-proof their online expansion across diverse trading platforms (from Amazon and Alibaba to boutique marketplaces and own-brand sites).
With a background in legal mergers & acquisitions, James previously served as Head of Europe for Alibaba. He then co-founded the UKs largest China-ecommerce exporter – an award winning, high growth platform that helped brands throughout Europe build market share in mainland China.
James has worked on international ecommerce strategies for multiple FTSE 250 companies, identifying how brands can maximise their value to external, private, and public markets. He explores what the largest global conglomerates can learn from start-up methodology, and what smaller companies can learn from brands such as Alibaba about scaling their business.
As an international thought-leader, James’s expertise has appeared in The Financial Times, The Huffington Post, The Journal du Net, The BBC and China Daily News. His work saw him awarded a Queen’s Award and named in the Financial Times’ Leap 100.
As a speaker, James covers areas such as building innovative cultures and how they benefit a business and ultimately looks at how businesses can disrupt their traditional ways of working to become more successful.
Not just talking about helping businesses succeed though, James leaves every audience with actionable takeaways to help them put into practice what he has spoken about, meaning his speeches have a long-term impact on the audience.
