James Down

James Down serves as the Group General Counsel at Smiths Group plc since December 2016, where responsibilities include shaping and delivering the company strategy while reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer and being a member of the Executive Committee. Previously, James held various legal positions within Smiths Detection, including General Counsel for both corporate and M&A legal matters. Prior to joining Smiths, James was a Senior Corporate Counsel at SABMiller from October 2012 to November 2016, contributing to one of the largest brewing companies before its acquisition by AB InBev. James began their legal career as an Associate at Hogan Lovells, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and commercial contracts. Academic qualifications include a BA and MSt in History from Oxford University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course from Nottingham Law School.