Professional Profile
Winner - Great British Male Entrepreneur of the Year - 2022
James started his first business aged 17 selling CDs online when Amazon still only sold books and e-commerce was in its infancy. Making enough profit from the business to pay off his student loans within 6 months of graduating and to waste money on a convertible car, he closed the enterprise aged 21 to pursue a career in IT.
James is Group Managing Director and owner of The Asteria Group, which encompasses the trading businesses Systemagic Ltd, Pasithea IoW Ltd and Metis Technology as well as other minor business shareholdings, alongside a 7-figure investment fund.
Systemagic Ltd is a Managed IT Service Provider, a business operating since 1999 and delivering IT Support and Cloud Solutions to businesses predominantly in its South West base but spanning the entire UK. Employing 19 staff and with £multi-million revenues, the scale-up business continues to enjoy impressive year-on-year growth and is highly regarded for its company culture and people-focussed service delivery, having won numerous awards along the way. It is recognised on the prestigious MSP501 list of leading global MSPs.
Metis Technology offers business coaching and non-exec Director support to ambitious growing businesses, usually but not exclusively in the tech space. Working with everyone from pre-revenue start-ups to established enterprises this business has helped businesses and charities save money, drive growth and stay ahead of the competition. Through Metis Technology, James is a mentor on the government's Help To Grow scheme, and frequently donates his time to the University of the West of England and the Institute of Directors offering mentoring for students and start-ups, sharing his experiences and offering guidance and support to others who are embarking on a similar journey to his own.
Pasithea IoW Ltd is a holiday letting business, offering holidays in its freehold properties on the Isle of Wight's west coast in a beautiful coastal location with 37 acres of private countryside including a secluded private beach.
James is a very vocal advocate of the national apprenticeship scheme and has won multiple awards for his hands-on approach to apprenticeships. He is passionate about growing talent and offering opportunities to trainees, apprentices and T-Level students.
His coaching and mentoring, including holding Non-Exec Director roles, extends to private clients and as an accredited practitioner of the popular C-Me behaviour profiling tool he has a keen interest in applying behaviour profiling to customer service, sales and leadership.
Outside of work he is passionate about Formula 1 having followed the sport for over 30 years, is a keen fisherman and collector of guitars. James lives with his wife and daughter just outside of Bath, but spends as much time as he can in his "happy place", on the Isle of Wight where he also has property and a couple of Non-Exec Director roles.
James has a Post Graduate Degree in Strategic Leadership & Management as well as a BSc(Hons) in Business Information Technology from UWE, Bristol. With over 20 years of working knowledge of small business operations and management, his other professional qualifications include accreditations in Small Business Finance, as a an accredited Small Business Advisor and in Technical Sales. He is a C-Me Accredited Practitioner, a Microsoft Certified Professional, Microsoft Licensing Specialist and holds many other technical qualifications.