Before co-founding Christopher James Boats, Chris enjoyed a varied career. He initially joined the police and spent the following two years patrolling the mean streets of the Thames Valley. He has also had other jobs including landscape gardening, a passion that he still pursues in his own garden. 

After realising that being on the beat wasn’t where he saw his career, Chris left the police and a career on the river soon began. He initially started at a business specialising in wooden boats. Chris has always seen much value and is passionate about heritage and history, so the stories of these old boats aligned perfectly with him. 

Following his time there, Chris moved to another Thames-based brokerage. While there, he quickly became an established broker who was respected and trusted not only locally but also further afield. After nearly 10 years, Chris took all the skills he developed on the Thames and transferred them to the south coast. Working for one of Europe’s largest brokerages, Chris turned a loss-making office into a profitable one within less than 12 months. 

Outside of boating, some of Chris’s passions are gardening, long walks with his wife Sarah and dog Odie, and beating James at their weekly snooker games.

Like Chris, James has enjoyed an equally varied career, prior to joining the marine industry. James’ previous careers have included such ‘glamorous’ roles as logistics, automotive aftersales and management positions in retail. 

James’ entry into the marine sector was probably less thought through compared to Chris’. Never being one to take much holiday or time off, James was having a particularly disappointing birthday behind a desk in a car showroom. It was on this day that he realised that he didn’t want to spend the rest of his career under the fluorescent lighting of a car showroom. The next thought that came to mind was that he liked boats and that he was going to sell them. Luckily, he found a brokerage relatively nearby that was hiring. He applied for the role and was offered it before he got home. It was here where he met Chris.

Following this role, James also went to the south coast, obtaining a position with a well-respected brokerage. Following his time there, James was asked to take up a position back on the inland water network, working for the UK’s largest marina operator. He was tasked with expanding the business into the south of England and was also allowed to take a deep dive into the technical side of the business. He both championed and implemented technical improvements in the business, bringing practices to the latest standards. 

Outside of work, James’ big passion is the theatre; it is truly his happy place. If it wasn’t for a discernible lack of singing and dancing ability, James would have likely pursued this as a career. James also enjoys sailing and regularly goes on sailing courses in Gibraltar. He is a qualified Sailing Day-Skipper and is working towards his Coastal Yacht Master.