James was appointed Chair of the Department of Business’ Ethnic Minority Task Force (EMBTF).

It was set up with  Government support to help stimulate growth among the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) business base in the UK. The consultation process is designed, primarily, to ensure support from the organisations likely to be involved in delivering and funding them.

As chair of The Ethnic Minority Business Task Force, James presented a report to government outlining the economic case for investment in Ethnic Minority Business. This report was the first and only piece of research undertaken specifically for the purpose of articulating and quantifying the latent economic potential of Ethnic Minority Businesses and it could not have come at a more crucial time.

“We believe that the report represents the most comprehensive analysis of Ethnic Minority Business in over a decade. It offers a new insight into the opportunity of tapping into the clear appetite of people from ethnic minorities to become an integral part of the next generation of UK business leaders. It provides a compelling case for enabling this latent potential, not with “special treatment” but with initiatives that make economic sense”.

The report’s novel analysis set out an economic value to the UK economy of Ethnic Minority businesses of £30bn-£40bn, complementing and enhancing established sources of information used to outline the case for policy intervention on this agenda.