Bio

James is the Chief Commercial Officer at RAK Digital Assets Oasis (RAK DAO) in the UAE. With a strong focus on blockchain, innovation, AI, and mobility, James has established himself as a thought leader in the field. He is passionate about digital assets and is a founder adviser, and investor in numerous businesses across multiple sectors. James also serves as a non-executive board member for several global companies, leveraging his extensive experience to help drive success. James started his career in Europe trading commodities and later joined DMCC in Dubai as their associate director of commodities. He led the next stage of growth for DMCC Free Zone as director of business development until 2020, transforming the business significantly. In 2014, James began to focus on blockchain and became one of the founding members of the Dubai Global Blockchain Council and Blockchain Innovation Group. He initiated the Crypto Centre in 2020 and leading up to this developed early proof of concepts in various sectors, including diamond track and trace, as well as launching crypto asset licenses, and contributing to the regional regulatory strategy. Today, James is heavily involved in the development of RAK DAO working closely with private and government partners to support the continuous growth of the UAE as a global Digital Asset hub. In addition to being a founding partner of JBLV, James is also an advising partner at UrbanGo and a founding partner of Jade Vault UK and Jade City Dubai. He invests alongside blue-chip tech partners in Web2-3-4 technologies and related projects, leveraging his extensive sector experience. He is founder, advisor and investor in over 16 companies across various sectors, with a strong focus on tech, web3, Crypto, DLT, VR, AR, RPA, QC, and trading liquidity, across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, including kubic, woonkly, sheesha finance, Q9, and nealthy.