James Dand

James is responsible for delivering operational improvements across all aspects of Turner & Townsend's business and driving performance across all the company's sectors, services and markets.

As part of the global leadership team, James takes a particular interest in the development of Turner & Townsend's proposition, its digital transformation and the management of its operational risk.  

Q. How has your career at Turner & Townsend developed?

A. I joined the firm as a graduate Cost Manager in London in 2002, working on HSE projects for clients including the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In 2004 I moved to Leeds to gain experience with our infrastructure team. In 2006 I moved again, this time to Amsterdam where I led teams on a number of regional roll out programmes and gained valuable international experience. I was appointed Netherlands Country Manager in 2011 and Europe Regional Managing Director in 2013, running businesses at all stages of maturity. I was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2017 and now I'm back where it all started, in London.

Q. Which project are you most proud of being involved in at Turner & Townsend?

A. I'm particularly proud of our 37-year partnership with Nissan, delivering a truly integrated service across 9,000 dealerships in 160 countries, drawing on the skills of 75 colleagues and a third of our global offices. It is a story that epitomises our firm.     

Q. How do you see the business developing over the next five years?

A. I think the change over the next five-year cycle will be greater than any change our industry has seen before. Client needs, growth markets, industry standards, people's motivations, working practices – they will all be very different. Our business will need to adapt on all of these fronts to remain relevant to our clients, remain the stand-out firm that people want to work for, and to do business in the right way.