Driven by a fascination with the “messy, irrational” nature of human decision-making, James Hay has built his career at the intersection of brand growth and retail innovation. After a decade in marketing and sales leadership roles at Mars and L’Oréal, he identified a structural gap; while media became increasingly ecommerce-centric, most purchase decisions remained firmly in-store.

Today, as Global CEO of Barrows Connected Store, James leads a multi-continental team across the UK, US, Europe and South Africa. His focus is on transforming physical retail environments into measurable, high-performance media channels, connecting strategy, technology and creative execution.

A champion of raising standards, James is committed to replacing disjointed retail noise with intentional, well-designed experiences that serve both shoppers and brands. Outside work, he is a Blackburn Rovers fan (optimistically), a runner, and an avid reader on high-performance teams.