James Alexander

Partner @ The Foundation, co-Founder Zopa, CEO Green Thing, Trustee RSPB James is a highly innovative and practical business creator, builder and strategist. James was co-Founder of Zopa (www.zopa.com), the multi-award winning marketplace where people meet to lend and borrow money and was UK CEO through to August 2007 and a Board Director until September 2009. Zopa was named by Business 2.0 in September 2006 as “1 of 11 companies that will change the world” (time will tell!). James is currently a Partner at The Foundation, a specialist growth and innovation consultancy based in London. James is also a Trustee and former CEO of Green Thing (www.dothegreenthing.com), the award winning not-for-profit organisation that inspires people to lead a greener life through “creativity versus climate change”. He is also a Trustee of the Royal Society of the Protection to Birds (RSPB). Prior to Zopa, James was Strategy Director at Egg, a world leader in digital banking. He joined Egg to create new things – launching Egg’s digital TV and mobile services and the UK’s first and most successful account aggregation service. As Strategy Director he saw Egg through its highly successful period of growth and move into profitability in the UK and led the exploration of a breakthrough opportunity for Egg entering the US. On leaving Egg, James was a founder member of the team that identified a major consumer trend of the next 20 years - Freeforming. Before Egg, James worked at LEK Consulting, where he developed the business case for Smile, Co-operative Bank's Internet bank. During this time James also led fund raising and business planning activities at Thames 21, a charity working with communities to create clean, safe and sustainable waterside environments in London. James holds an MBA from INSEAD and a 1st class honours degree from University College, London. He loves spending time with his family and bird watching – and in 1990, during an expedition to Sao Tome & Principe, helped re-discover 3 species of bird that had been considered by many extinct.

Victoria, Louis, Robin. Birds and nature.

Dothegreenthing.com - fusing smart creativity and marketing nous to inspire people to lead a greener life Zopa.com - people can trust people with money. Zopa is a marketplace where people meet to lend and borrow money - and because there is no bank in the middle, everyone gets a better deal

Andy said it was good. So TED Global 2011 is my first.