Ben James

Ben James has over 20 years of experience in procurement and purchasing. Ben most recently worked as the Head Of Purchasing at Audley Travel, where they were responsible for maintaining the cost competitiveness of the company's £160 million Land supply base. Ben led projects to re-contract Audley's Destination Management Companies and mitigate the risk of Land supplier failure during the COVID pandemic. Prior to that, Ben worked as the Head Of Procurement at Halfords, where they sourced a diverse portfolio of goods and services with an annual spend of £150 million.

Ben also has experience at Procure4, where they worked as a Project Lead and Category Leader, delivering cost reduction across various sectors, including food, beverage, GSNFR, and property. Ben worked with clients such as Boots, Debenhams, Travelodge, and Wagamama. Additionally, Ben spent nine months on a supply chain transformation project in the UAE. Before that, they worked at Mitchells & Butlers as a Purchasing Manager, overseeing procurement in areas such as GSNFR, property, and beverage. Ben began their career as a Graduate Trainee at Tarmac.

Ben James attended Wirral Grammar School for Boys from 1989 to 1996. After completing their secondary education, they went on to study Economics at the University of Warwick from 1996 to 1999. Ben earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics during their time at the university.