Last week, we announced the appointment of James Lamb as the Executive Director of our newly established UK & Ireland office. In this interview, James shares his professional journey, the career achievements he’s most proud of, and what inspired him to join The Stadium Consultancy. He also has a message for our clients.
Who is James Lamb?
An avid sports fan and family man with a passion for developing ‘best-in-class’ sport and entertainment venue infrastructure projects.
Can you share a bit about your professional background?
I am a specialist in stadia and arena development projects with wide-ranging experience developing and managing sports infrastructure projects in the UK, Europe, USA & Middle East. I studied Commercial Real Estate Management at University with a keen interest in development. It was at this point I decided to do my dissertation on maximising commercial value in stadium development projects. This led me to pursuing my first career break at IMG Consulting where I began working with the sports facilities development team. Since then I’ve specialised in football stadia, arena and destination projects including world renowned projects such as Eden Project. My broad expertise covers the business planning, design, construction & operation of sports facilities. I have also been lucky enough to work on major sports events including the London 2012 Olympic Games & planning for the FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup.
What are some of the accomplishments in your career you are most proud of?
My first big career break saw me move to Abu Dhabi in 2013 to support a multi-disciplinary team on the development of a 5,000-capacity multifunctional arena and elite Jiu-jitsu centre on behalf of the Crown Prince Court. This was my first experience involved in the delivery of an arena from feasibility through to development, construction and handover into operation. More recently working for Aston Villa I led on the Estates Masterplan centred on the modernisation of Villa Park including the fully consented expansion plans to take the stadium to a 50,000+ capacity. The further modernisation of Villa Park included redefining all hospitality and new GA+ spaces, seating bowl optimisations and alterations, a newly redeveloped Northern Precinct including a new Club Concept Store in partnership with Adidas, public realm and 3,500 capacity Warehouse venue set to host the fan zone, music, culture and entertainment events.
You will become the director of TSC’s UKI-office. What made you decide to choose for The Stadium Consultancy?
A likeminded approach and philosophy to developing stadia focused on establishing a functional design concept aligned to a robust business plan. This combined with the desire to deliver best in class projects which are sustainable and meet the Clients core commercial and fan experience objectives.
What will The Stadium Consultancy bring to the UK & Ireland?
A fresh approach focused on commercially driven principles targeted at delivering projects.
Is there a message you’d like to share with our clients as you step into this role?
Embarking on a complex stadium development project can be a daunting task. By establishing a vision underpinned by clearly defined objectives, commercial and operational requirements the design process can be optimised and delivery model simplified. The Stadium Consultancy are perfectly positioned to assist clients (Clubs, operators, cities and investors) in navigating through this complex environment and establishing the right professional team to deliver.