James W. Burnes

James W. Burnes currently serves as the interim Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Awesome in New Zealand, having been a Board of Trustees member since 2019. With an extensive background in strategic leadership, James has held various roles, including Operating Partner at Orchid Black and Strategy Facilitator at Better Strategies, where James W. collaborated with CEOs to develop transformative strategies. Notable previous positions include CEO of Startup Queenstown Lakes and Vitamin J, where James W. built effective startup ecosystems and led innovation consultancies, respectively. James has also served in key marketing and digital strategy roles at companies such as Wherewolf and PatentStatus. James holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Management from Western Governors University, along with a program completion from the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship.