TOPICS
Future Trends
Technology
Customer Relationships
Marketing
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
English
James Alexander
James Alexander is a highly innovative and practical business creator, builder and strategist.
James Alexander is a co-Founder and Board Director of Zopa, the marketplace where people meet to lend and borrow money, which launched in March 2005, and until August 2007 was UK CEO. Zopa was named by Business 2.0 in September 2006 as “1 of 11 companies that will change the world” (time will tell!), by CNet as “Internet Innovation of 2006”, won a Webby Award for Best Banking/Bill-Paying Site 2007, The Banker Award for Internet Project of 2007 and was named a Red Herring 100 company for 2007.
James Alexander is also a Trustee and is helping with the launch of Green Thing in September 2007. Green Thing is an online, not-for-profit social movement to mobilise the masses to act against climate change.
James Alexander was previously Strategy Director at Egg, a world leader in digital banking. He joined Egg to create new things – launching Egg’s digital TV and mobile services and the UK’s first and most successful account aggregation service. He became Strategy Director in 2001 and saw Egg through its highly successful period of growth and move into profitability in the UK. James then led the exploration of a breakthrough opportunity for Egg entering the US.
On leaving Egg, James was a founder member of the team that identified the major consumer trend of the next 20 years - Freeforming. Before Egg, James worked at LEK Consulting, where he developed the business case for Smile, Co-operative Bank's internet bank.
James has also led fund raising and business planning activities at Thames 21, a charity working with communities to create clean, safe and sustainable waterside environments in London.
James Alexander holds an MBA from INSEAD and a 1st class honours degree from University College, London.
During his career he has worked closely with a number of well know leaders and
innovators: Richard Duvall (Founder Egg and Zopa), Mike Harris (founder of Egg, First Direct and Mercury), Richard Handover at WH Smith and Alan Giles at Waterstones.