Karen James

Karen James is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in leadership and strategic management across various sectors. Currently serving as Director at Palladium since June 2023, Karen focuses on delivering nature-based solutions to benefit people and the planet. As CEO of Business for Development from January 2019 to June 2023, Karen applied systems thinking and engineering expertise to tackle complex issues and drive impactful scaling initiatives across Asia Pacific and Africa. Previous roles include Founder and CEO of On Purpose Hub, General Manager at Commonwealth Bank of Australia overseeing Corporate Financial Services, and General Manager at Dimension Data where substantial revenue growth was achieved. Karen's career began at Ascom Timeplex and includes key positions at Nortel Networks and Bay Networks. Karen holds a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Hartford.