James joined Howdens in August 2025 and has been a member of the Executive Committee since that time.

He previously held the role of Managing Director of Toolstation and Travis Perkins in the UK and prior to joining Toolstation, he served on the board of Screwfix and held a number of senior positions in Kingfisher and Sainsbury’s. He is currently a non-executive director of Materials Market and is a member of the Advisory Board of The Pennies Foundation.

James’s role encompasses product leadership and range management, which is one of our key strategic initiatives. He also leads the Digital and Marketing teams to build brand awareness and promote Howdens' unique model.