James is responsible for developing and delivering partnerships, collaborations and ideas that can support the long-term goals of the Big Local programme and promote a positive future for communities, through hyper-local, place-based, resident-led change. James joined Local Trust from Forum for the Future, the international sustainability non-profit, where he was Director of Futures and Projects. He developed and led on the organisation’s use of futures tools such as scenario planning and trends analysis, and was responsible for the effective management of projects and partnerships across four international offices. He has worked on a range of issues such as energy and climate change, social enterprise, the digital economy, sustainable food and agriculture, corporate sustainability and the future of civil society.