James is a Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Social Capital, where he is responsible for all aspects of financial operations and reporting.
He has more than two decades of experience as an investor, advisor, professor, and researcher in the financial services and technology sectors. Prior to joining Social Capital, James was a professor of accounting at London Business School, where he was the director of the Mergers and Acquisitions program for executives, and was an award-winning degree program teacher. His academic research interests included M&A, activist investing, investors’ use of financial information, and SEC regulation. His research has been published in top academic journals including the Journal of Accounting and Economics, The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, and the Review of Accounting Studies.
Concurrently with his academic activities, James has been a public company director, most recently serving as chair of the Audit Committee of Virgin Galactic Holdings (NYSE: SPCE) from 2019 to 2021, as well as two Social Capital Hedosophia special purpose acquisition companies. He has also served as a director of a number of venture-backed technology and insurtech companies including Flock and Groundspeed Analytics.
Prior to London Business School, James was head of investments at Chelsea Rhone LLC, a startup offering niche liability insurance solutions in the healthcare industry. James began his career with Deloitte & Touche in Toronto, Canada.
James graduated with a B.A.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo, an M.B.A. with High Distinction from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. James is also a CFA Charterholder. At Waterloo, he was a five-time varsity letterman, and served as captain of the Men's Swim Team. James is currently an active masters water polo player.
