A safe pair of hands when your strategy is underwhelming.

Or when things go sideways.

Hi, I’m James.

I’ve spent over a decade working across marketing, relationships, and crisis management. I’m often the person people call when things aren’t quite working, or when stakes are high and clear outcomes are critical.

I specialise in health, education, and social services. I’ve led large-scale digital campaigns, public-facing activations, strategic planning processes, and internal team realignment. I’ve also helped resolve some seriously gnarly challenges, from broken stakeholder relationships and internal conflict, to navigating financial instability, legal risk, and organisational change.

Alongside hands-on delivery, I’ve worked in governance, management, and strategic advisory roles. I understand how to balance people, process, and performance to ensure ‘stuff happens yesterday’.

What I bring to every engagement:

Strategic calm under pressure – I’m often brought in when things are sensitive, urgent, or high-stakes.

End-to-end marketing and communications leadership – from insights to execution.

Board and executive credibility – I understand governance, operations, and the relationships in between.

A relationship-first approach – restoring trust, strengthening engagement, and aligning teams.

Experience & Results

Health Experience

Help4U
Directed a major service and pricing transformation across community health services. Boosted revenue by nearly 300% through a new pricing model and operational realignment. Led communications and stakeholder engagement during a high-risk IT system rollout, working directly with general practices and hospice providers across the South Island. Also served as Acting Managing Director during a business continuity event.

Keja Health
Currently leading external relations and advocacy for a clinical education startup helping doctors succeed in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. This is across courses from health system navigation, to rainbow health, to leadership development.

I oversee partnerships with regulators, NGOs, and training institutions—driving systems-level change toward more practical, skills-based clinician education.

Consulting Projects
- Customer research creation for Good Together Health
- Strategic planning for Skin Centre, including media engagement
- Youth health engagement and marketing for Christchurch PHO
- HIV and PrEP based research into access and pathways for patients
- Various website and digital marketing projects including physiotherapy, dentistry, primary care, and veterinary care.

Education Experience

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Managed marketing portfolio for over 40 health and education programmes. Introduced a new digital strategy that reduced advertising spend by 30% and improved enrolment conversions by 35%.

Oversaw $150K+ in annual campaign budgets and implemented SEM strategies across 100+ courses, while leading internal upskilling across the marketing team.

STEAM-ED Charitable Trust
As Board Chair, led the organisation through its most challenging period—navigating COVID disruptions, redefining its value proposition, and executing a successful rebrand. Implemented a new strategic plan that restored profitability in both 2020 and 2021.

Also managed separation from a national parent body, while implementing a significant governance restructure and changes in board functions..

Art & Play Therapy in Education Trust
Advised the board on turnaround strategy amidst changing government funding and post-COVID service pressure. Facilitated scenario planning, stakeholder mapping, and service review, which ultimately supported a considered and effective organisational wind-down.

Strategy and Advisory

The Opportunities Party (TOP)

Brought in during a critical post-election transition to advise on strategic direction, operational reset, and reputation management. Acted as a trusted advisor to the board and leadership team, helping steer through internal restructure, stakeholder pressure, and other matters.

Turnaround & Scaling (Private Sector & Agencies)

In leadership roles across B2B SaaS (State3), agency services (Wisp), and industrial sectors (MPF Engineering), I’ve supported organisations through growth phases, internal realignments, and strategic rethink. This has included building functions from scratch, reworking delivery systems, clarifying value propositions, and helping teams reset direction.

Relationship Management

A core part of my work involves repairing fractured relationships and restoring alignment across teams and stakeholders. At Toi Ohomai, I rebuilt trust between marketing and faculty teams during a period of tension and underperformance—helping re-establish confidence in the function and its value. At Zeald, I managed over 40 client accounts, many of which required resetting strained relationships, restoring delivery confidence, and realigning expectations under pressure.

Other projects have included leading stakeholder engagement initiatives, managing funder and partner relationships, and designing relationship-centered strategies that support long-term collaboration and resilience.

Internal Conflict & Governance Challenges

Across multiple confidential roles, I’ve supported boards, founders, and senior leaders to resolve:

  • Internal staff or leadership breakdowns

  • Difficult exits and negotiation standstills

  • Board-level conflict and decision-making misalignment

  • Employment policy crises and reputational risk

My role often combines structured strategy with practical people-sense—helping teams move forward while protecting relationships and organisational credibility.

Where I Deliver Value

Strategic support. Practical execution. Trusted insight when it counts.

Campaign Management

I design and lead campaigns that are grounded in strategy and built for impact. Whether a major digital rollout, localised recruitment drive, or grassroots engagement, I bring structure, creativity, and results-driven thinking. From planning to reporting, I help you reach the right people with the right message.

Marketing Management

I step into organisations as a fractional marketing lead or strategic advisor - setting up systems, guiding teams, and making sure marketing efforts actually deliver. I’ve built marketing functions from scratch, turned around underperforming teams, and aligned leadership around clear goals.

Strategy

Strategy isn’t about long documents - it’s about clear decisions and aligned direction. I work with founders, boards, and leadership teams to shape growth plans, refocus brand positioning, and lead long-term planning that balances ambition with real-world execution.

Issues and Crisis Management

When things go south, internally or externally, I provide calm, structured guidance to navigate tough spots. I’ve helped resolve stakeholder blowouts, reputation risks, leadership conflict, and operational crises. I bring strategic clarity and a people-first approach to high-stakes situations.

Communications

I help organisations say what matters clearly and effectively. Whether it’s internal updates during change, stakeholder alignment comms, or campaign messaging, I make sure your voice cuts through without adding noise. I don’t chase headlines - I build understanding and trust.

Relationship Management

Relationships are often the root of both success and dysfunction. I support teams to rebuild strained partnerships, improve internal alignment, and engage with funders, boards, regulators, and communities. If the relationship matters and it’s not working, I can help fix it.

Governance & Advisory

I work with boards, senior leaders, and founders to provide strategic guidance, support change initiatives, and offer an outside-in perspective on complex decisions. With board chair experience and deep operational insight, I bring practical, credible advice that balances governance and execution.

Testimonials

  • “I’ve worked with James for over a decade, and what stands out—beyond his marketing skill—is his rare strength in general management. He’s someone who can read a balance sheet, build trust with directors, coach a CEO through a rough patch, and still write a marketing plan that actually gets delivered. He’s strategic but also hands-on. He knows how to drive SEO, implement CRM systems, interpret developer-speak, pitch and close new business, and back every recommendation with research and insight. There aren’t many people with that kind of range, clarity, and calm capability.”

    Leigh Harris, Managing Director, Convergence PR and Marketing

  • “After the 2023 election, TOP had to rebuild and underwent substantial organizational change. As Board Chair, I've relied heavily on James for his strategic counsel. He's provided expert guidance around change initiatives and crisis management, and his diverse skillset means he's effective at both operational and governance levels. I personally appreciate James for his energy, drive and positive 'can do' attitude. His strategic insight combined with swift and effective problem-solving makes James a force to be reckoned with. He was a core and highly valued member of our team.”

    Penny Fairbrother, Board Chair, The Opportunities Party

  • “From the outset, James impressed me with insight and integrity well beyond his years. His market research and strategic recommendations, particularly around customer personas, segmentation, forecasting, and international market entry, were consistently sharp, actionable, and accurate. I’ve come to rely on his counsel as a core part of my decision-making. James has also proven himself as a practical problem-solver. He understands that business decisions are often constrained by competing priorities and adapts accordingly. He is astute, conscientious, and deeply reliable. I have no hesitation recommending him.”

    Kay Poulsen, Managing Director, Help4U

  • “James quickly became someone we all relied on at TOP. He brought sharp strategic thinking and dependable operational delivery - consistently getting things done without fuss and always on time. His good humour and can-do attitude made even the trickiest jobs feel manageable. During a period of intense change, James provided thoughtful strategic counsel and handled emerging issues with calm, clarity, and care. He played a key role in keeping internal communications clear and consistent, ensuring the team stayed focused, informed, and aligned. His political savvy and ability to bring people with him were crucial to strong decision-making. James was a positive, thoughtful presence and a hugely valued leader in our team.”

    Hon. Iain Lees-Galloway, General Manager, The Opportunities Party

  • “James is highly proficient in digital strategy and execution. He delivers performance plans that are smart, results-driven, and tailored to the specific business objectives of each client. As a digital native, he understands how to deploy the right tactics for the right goals—whether it’s building awareness, generating leads, or driving conversion. His work spans the full funnel with confidence and clarity. James is also hands-on with implementation. He’s experienced in digital advertising platforms, backend web systems, measurement tools, and influencer networks—ensuring strategy and execution are always tightly aligned.”

    Kristen Hill, Marketing Communications Manager

  • “I’ve consistently relied on James over the years for advice across a wide range of situations—from community engagement and complex communications to strategy development and high-level problem solving. He’s the person I always describe as ‘the one you call when things go wrong and need fixing.’ His calm, level-headed approach brings clarity and confidence in moments that can otherwise feel chaotic. Whether it's navigating a tricky situation or setting a strategic course, James is someone I trust completely.”

    Christine Lane, Funder & Community Engagement Professional

  • “James brings a diverse and valuable background encompassing marketing, people management, strategic planning and crisis management. His unique approach proved invaluable as he guided STEAM-ED through a challenging establishment period marked by COVID, rebranding, and financial instability. Under his leadership and support, the organization successfully navigated these hurdles and continues to thrive.”

    Helen Stewart, Former Chair, STEAM-ED

  • “I’ve worked with James across several brands now, and he’s one of the strongest marketers I’ve come across. He not only understands digital at a level you rarely see, but also brings marketing insight so sharp that even with 25 years of experience, I find myself learning from him. Beyond that, he’s a brilliant strategist with a ‘no problem, I’ll handle it’ approach—whether it’s advisory work or unexpected issues that need fixing fast. He’s calm, capable, and always focused on what matters. He’s worth far more than his weight in gold in any situation.”

    Sandra Hayman, Contract Marketing Manager & Brand Strategist

Contact me.

Email: james@intelket.co.nz
Phone: +64277217408