James joined AEW as a consultant in 2011 and is a member of AEW UK's Investment Committee. He was Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director of AEW UK REIT plc from May 2015 to September 2019. He has 53 years of investment industry experience and is currently a Member of the Investment Committee of Paloma Real Estate Fund I LP. He was until recently a Member of the Investment Committee of Columbus U.K. Real Estate Fund LP and was on the Investment Committee of Gresham Real Estate Fund I & II and Columbus UK Real Estate Fund II (all Schroders funds). He was also previously a Member of the Investment Committee of ING Lionbrook Property Partnership and CBRE Investors and a consultant to UBS Global Asset Management Limited. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Raven Mount plc, including being Chairman of their main subsidiary's pension fund.
From 1998 to 2002 he served as a Non-Executive Director at Saville Gordon Estates plc, latterly as Chairman. From 1990 to 1998, James was Head of Property at PDFM Limited (now UBS Global Asset management Limited). From 1986 to 1990, he was a Director of property corporate finance at UBS Phillips & Drew. He Joined Phillips & Drew in 1967 where he held various sales and research positions before being appointed a Partner in 1981.