James Gardner

Background

About James Gardner

I lead companies that make things. I am an innovator at heart with a passion for creating important products and ideas that change the way people and organizations work and think. I’ve driven innovation and technology advancements at companies with revenues of less than $15M a year to those with over $1B. I'm at my best making new things in environments with lots of ambiguity, where there is genuine newness, or when coming to a product-market fit is difficult. For example, early on in my career I designed and built the first 7 Internet banking systems in the Southern Hemisphere. My love of invention and positive change also informs my business acumen. I approach turnaround management, process improvements, and client retention with that same desire to make the business hum like a well-tuned engine. As a leader, I welcome disagreement and questions from my teams to drive innovative solutions. I hire the best of the best and expect to learn from them through open communication and honest-to-goodness engagement. I can talk shop with the best of them, but I am even better as a servant leader equipping my teams with the resources and coaching they need to succeed. I am known for my thought leadership and exceptional knowledge of innovation strategies for large organizations. I've written three books and earned a doctorate on the subject, and I've led technology innovation at places such as Microsoft, Lloyds in London, and the UK Government, where I was CTO of the Department for Work and Pensions. To find out more about my track record as a visionary and change agent, watch some of my presentations. I have a knack for getting the message across in a way that people enjoy, which makes me uniquely suited to conference speaking engagements as well as client relationships.