James

Industrial technology leader and entrepreneur James Brand brings more than twenty-three years of specialist experience at the intersection of software, AI and industrial automation. James founded Intelligent Industries in 2000 and has spent more than two decades building a specialist firm focused on OT/IT convergence, industrial data integration and cloud-native analytics for manufacturing and energy providers — a niche where very few consultants can match his depth.

Alongside running Intelligent Industries, James has provided retail technology consulting to top retailers on the IR UK 500 list, advising on omni-channel strategy, e-commerce, logistics and POS systems. His career started early — aged eighteen, he was already redesigning software for electronic soldering robots to enable global machine-to-machine communication — and that hands-on engineering instinct still runs through his strategic work today.

James specialises in helping manufacturers and energy providers bridge the gap between Operational Technology and Information Technology, leveraging Microsoft Azure, IoT, edge computing and AI to drive efficiency and sustainability. Microsoft Certified in Azure AI Fundamentals, he is an ideal fractional IT Director for industrial businesses pursuing digital transformation, smart-factory programmes or data-led operational improvement.