James Leay is a seasoned professional with a track record of supporting social change by empowering local enterprise. With a BBA from Lancaster University, where he studied Business Management, James has held various high-profile positions in diverse organizations. He is a trustee at Make Shift Foundation, where he channels his passion for social entrepreneurship to support and encourage budding startups. James served as the Co-founder & CEO of Make Shift before taking on the role of Director at Glowthread, a textile printing company. He was the Chief Operating Officer at String™ before moving on to become the Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Associate at Beer & Partners. James has also worked as the Major Programmes Executive - Liaison Manager at BT and, earlier in his career, as the Acting Operations Manager at Whittlebury Park.