Our people
James Ford
Climate - Business Unit lead
As leader of our Climate Business Unit, I am responsible for developing a clear business plan for the country-wide cluster of our specialist groups that can together respond to the climate emergency. I provide the much-needed two-way communication between the Executive Team and the Climate Business Unit that enables change.
This is a role that gives me the opportunity to catalyse a progressive and positive response to some of the greatest challenges of our time.
In addition to this position, I am also leading Product & Innovation and Net Zero Carbon – two aspects that are integral to a future-focused Climate service.
In my role within the Executive Team, I’m currently focusing on…
…three key areas for each of my roles. For Product & Innovation, I’m currently prioritising establishing the foundations upon which to elevate and amplify our firm’s propensity to innovate and align our service offerings with the needs of our clients. As part of my Net Zero Carbon (NZC) leadership, I’m focussing on embedding NZC in our consultancy and in our organisation’s operations. Finally, my main priority for the Climate Business Unit is about finding ways to empower the next generation of leaders – so they can make sure our firm is even better equipped to tackle the greatest challenges of the industry.
For me, being a leader at Hoare Lea means…
…I’m in a position where I’m able to activate our people and clients’ potential. This means I am personally committed to leading us, collectively, to go beyond what we think is possible. The ultimate goal of my leadership is to harness this in order to truly transform the built environment industry’s response to the climate crisis.