Chair Profile: James Christensen

Professional

As a serial entrepreneur and past executive in large multinational companies, James Christensen has seen every angle of success – from challenging lessons to triumphant wins. With over 30 years of business experience, he has developed a passion for working with results-driven leaders to help them refine their goals, perfect their leadership skills, and create a path that helps fulfill their vision.

James has a formal education in accounting and began his career as a controller at Whistler Blackcomb – which gave him a deep understanding of operations and finance – and his subsequent work in information systems helped develop world-class ski industry systems. James is also credited with founding the first gift card and loyalty processing company in Canada, Ernex, which he later sold to RBC.

His successive work at RBC included helping to develop the first non-airline cobranded credit card – Avion. It was through these early-career successes where James discovered that his guiding principles belonged to innovation and team building.

James went on to serve as an executive at TSYS, a payment processor in the US where he helped launch their loyalty operations with companies like Citigroup, Home Depot, and Sears. He has also launched and exited other tech-based startups where he continued to learn about raising capital, building teams, and product innovation. Over the past 10 years, he has focused on consulting businesses, large and small, on innovation and strategic planning around digital disruption.

James is the proud recipient of the Business in Vancouver’s 40 Under 40 award and a Profit Hot 50 award, but his greatest sense of accomplishment derives from guiding the strategic decisions and the long-term growth of others.

TEC Group Vision

While management focuses on doing things right, leadership should be concerned with doing the right things. I believe that a group of leaders can challenge, support, and teach each other to make better decisions that ensure their companies are going in the right direction and doing the right things.

Personal

• Lives with his wife, Jackie, in North Vancouver, B.C. where they raised their 3 adult children.
• Designated CLMP, Certified Loyalty Management Professional
• Faculty at the Loyalty Academy, teaching about Payments and Loyalty
• Enjoys the west coast outdoors as an avid skier and rider