Founder & CEO, OtoloPartner, The Growth Works
James is Founder & CEO of Otolo, a mentoring & community platform for people passionate about hospitality to realise their potential. Its DNA is grounded in a passion-project to support an industry in crisis, and is now a seed-funded start-up and team of 10, supported by the Innovate UK programme.
Otolo is reimagining the way hospitality people accelerate their careers, develop new skills and connect across the industry, powered by the experiences of industry leaders & mentors – think Masterclass, meets Coursera, meets Bumble.
With peer-to-peer connections and advanced technology at its heart, Otolo aims to support a new way for the industry to attract, develop and retain people, recovering stronger and more sustainably.
James also continues to lead The Growth Works, a boutique hospitality strategy & innovation consultancy, working with leading hotel chains, technology businesses and investors in the industry to embed an entrepreneurial and growth mindset across hospitality and travel.
Prior to launching his own ventures in 2018, James spent over a decade building businesses in hospitality – in hotel chains like IHG, hospitality-tech in Travelport and in start-ups, as COO of Hostmaker, the short-stay homes management company that launched Marriott Homes & Villas.