James Sommerville Co-Founder/Creative Director

Born in Huddersfield in northern England, James Sommerville studied typography and print design at Batley School of Art, where he met fellow student and artist Simon Needham. In 1987, leveraging a £2,000 grant from The Prince's Trust Business Program, James and Simon joined forces to launch their design studio — which is today a renowned global creative agency with offices in Leeds, San Francisco and Santa Monica. In his present role as Co-Founder and Creative Director, James maintains active involvement in all major European projects, including ongoing account work for Coca-Cola, adidas, Heineken UK and others. On a non–commercial level, James has spent time on the academic, design and business lecture circuit,

having presented at events in many international cities such as London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, Oslo, Toronto, Amsterdam and Paris. James is also an active member of The Prince's Trust Enterprises, and an adviser to The Trust's headquarters in London. In 2006 James provided the keynote introduction for HRH The Prince of Wales at a Buckingham Palace fund raising dinner reception for VIP guests, and has also served as a high-profile ambassador for The Trust throughout its recent 30th Anniversary Celebration, which included an appearance on BBC News 24 and raised £125,000 for the Trust through a televised edition of ITV's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"