The Serious
Armed with his art and design background from De Montfort University, James began his career with Stu Williamson Photography in the United Kingdom and then Dubai. There, his role as general manager prepared James for his future career trajectory as a company founder, owner, and leader.
After leading customer acquisition in the photography business for over a decade, James established a consulting firm called Veravo in 2010 and set about offering marketing services to businesses in the Dubai market area.
Over the next two years, James developed a passion and skill in search engine optimization resulting in the launch of SEO Sherpa in 2012. James and SEO Sherpa has gone on to deliver SEO services for notable brands like, Pretty Little Thing, Farfetch, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Nissan, Guinness World Records, and Bulletproof.
SEO Sherpa is the 2023 Global Search Awards Best Large SEO Agency and a six-time winner of the Best Large SEO Agency at the MENA Search Awards. In 2019, James was awarded the title of MENA Search Personality of the Year for his outstanding contribution to the search engine marketing industry.
James regularly contributes to magazines like Forbes Middle East and Entrepreneur Middle East and mentors startup companies in his free time.
The Fun
James says he’s everything but an afternoon person – being full of energy late at night, early morning, and a bit sluggish in between.
James says he’d be a chimpanzee if he were an animal, as he doesn’t take himself too seriously. You’ll likely find him swinging from one figurative branch to the next without considering where he’ll land.
As a self-described coffee snob, James is a bit coffee-obsessed – with an array of coffee-making paraphernalia in his arsenal. He describes himself as focused, committed, selfish, and happiest about 10 minutes into an ice bath session.
When it comes to his role at SEO Sherpa, James says, “It’s not a job for me. It’s just what I do.”
