James Maxwell

Senior public affairs professional with nearly a decade of experience in political strategy, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy campaign delivery. Proven track record in leading policy and public affairs campaigns, building coalitions across political, industry, and third-sector stakeholders. Experienced in engaging decision-makers across Westminster, Whitehall, and local government, and in translating political intelligence into proactive influencing strategies.

Senior Manager at Newmarket Strategy (2025-02 – 2026-03)

• Managing key client accounts as the senior day-to-day lead, overseeing programme delivery and coordinating client teams.
• Providing political counsel to senior executives on legislative and political developments, to help them navigate risks and opportunities and achieve their commercial objectives.
• Line managing two colleagues, providing structured support, regular feedback, and clear direction to build the skills and standards required to operate in a high-stakes consulting environment.
• Designing and delivering strategic engagement programmes – including parliamentary roundtables, policy launches, and stakeholder workshops – to build consensus across political, expert, and industry audiences and drive policy change.
• Producing high-quality briefings, consultation responses, and parliamentary materials for senior stakeholders, distilling complex policy and political issues into clear, actionable materials.
• Supporting the growth of the Strategic Government Affairs practice, including contributing to new business development and improving revenue and capacity forecasting.

Account Director – Account Executive at Incisive Health (2020-04 – 2025-02)

• Led client accounts as the responsible team lead, overseeing delivery, managing senior stakeholder relationships, and ensuring all output met the standards required for public and political scrutiny.
• Led the secretariats of three coalitions – the Specialised Healthcare Alliance, I am Number 17, and Front of Mind – overseeing governance, ensuring that the views of coalition members were represented in policy and advocacy work, and coordinating activity across industry, clinical, and third-sector partners.
• Line managed three colleagues sequentially, from intern to senior account manager level, investing in their development through coaching, structured feedback, and clear direction.
• Provided business-critical policy and public affairs advice to leading organisations, helping them navigate complex government and political structures at national and local levels – including engagement with local authorities, NHS commissioners, and place-based decision-makers.
• Managed significant client budgets, ensuring strategic priorities were consistently met within agreed parameters.
• Delivered workshops and training to colleagues on political strategy, party dynamics, and the UK policy landscape.

Secondment - Governance & Campaigning at The Labour Party (2024-05 – 2024-07)

• Contributed to national campaign strategy across key battleground areas, working directly within communities with local organisers, candidates, and local party infrastructure to deliver campaign strategy on the ground.
• Led the operational coordination of senior political visits and set-piece events, including the national manifesto launch, managing high-level relations with political offices.
• Supported governance procedures including expenditure tracking and management of the general election budget.

Policy Researcher – Junior Researcher at RPP Group (2018-12 – 2020-04)

Progressed through two roles over just under two years, building foundational skills in policy research and stakeholder engagement. Provided political monitoring, stakeholder analysis, and in-depth research to support policy campaigns and client engagement, including directly supporting policymaker and stakeholder meetings.

Parliamentary Health Policy Intern at Office of Luciana Berger MP (2018-01 – 2018-05)

Supported parliamentary work on health policy in the office of the then Liverpool Wavertree MP. Assisted with stakeholder communications, diary management, and select committee duties.

BA in Politics – University of Liverpool (2015 – 2018)

A-Level in Government & Politics, Law, History – Hugh Baird College (2013 – 2015)

GCSE – Broadgreen International School (2008 – 2013)