James Ashton
Former senior newspaper editor and leadership speaker
*Fees are a guide only. Exact cost will be dependent on requirements and are subject to change.
About James Ashton
Across a distinguished journalism career, James has written for leading national and international publications including The Times, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Reuters, Daily Mail, The Independent and The Scotsman. He has covered everything from the UK economy and the banking crisis to multibillion-pound takeovers, disruptive technologies and the personalities behind some of the world’s most recognisable brands.
James has conducted hundreds of high-profile interviews with senior leaders from organisations including the Bank of England, Barclays, Tesco, Virgin, General Electric, Nestlé, Huawei, Anglo American and WeWork, giving him a unique perspective on leadership, decision-making, crisis management and business transformation.
Alongside journalism, James is the host of the Leading with James Ashton podcast, where CEOs and leaders from business, healthcare, charities and the arts discuss leadership, success, setbacks and the lessons they have learned along the way. More than 50 senior leaders have appeared on the show, including executives from O2, Deloitte and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Away from broadcasting and speaking, James is a non-executive director of the FTSE250 investment trust Finsbury Growth & Income and co-runs Oscar’s Book Prize, a national pre-school book award established in memory of his son Oscar.
To book Keynote Speaker and Moderator James Ashton, contact The Speakers Agency on +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com
James’s speech topics include, but are not limited to:
- The changing media landscape: how the drive to digital has redrawn newsrooms, monetisation and the stories that get told today.
- A macroeconomic overview: what is happening in the world right now?
- Leadership, technology and disruption: what chief executives fear most, the cult of the changemaker and why public markets fail to incentivise risk taking.
- Tomorrow’s cities: how corporations and municipal authorities must come together to capture talent and investment and tackle transport and housing challenges.
Here you can find links to books by James Ashton. For bulk book orders for your event please speak with a member of the team.
Client Feedback
"The session proved to be very popular with our audience and some fantastic insights came out of James’s interviews. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and media coverage was also excellent."
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General
"When we were planning one of our key main stage interview sessions, we had no hesitation in inviting James to lead this. He brought reassurance to the interviewee’s team because they knew James and he then ensured that the fireside chat on the mainstage was engaging, informative and well-received by our delegates."
Ian McGarrigle, Chairman, World Retail Congress
"James was a professional and engaging chair of a quite diverse panel who needed to be well managed. I was delighted with his efforts and we would definitely use him again."
Caroline Artis, Senior London Partner, EY
