James Ballard is the Founder of Annapurna, an international HR and transformation search firm. With over 25 years of experience, he partners with global organisations to strengthen leadership, skills and operating models in response to evolving business demands. He also founded the ERUPT community, delivering executive events and insights on transformation across HR, technology and GTM. Alongside his work at Annapurna, James collaborates with The RBL Group to support research and initiatives that align strategy, leadership and culture for sustainable organisational value.
James Ballard is the Founder of Annapurna, a multi-award-winning international HR & Transformation search firm, and a highly respected figure within the global People and Transformation community.
With over 25 years' experience working alongside some of the world's most recognised organisations, James has built his career at the heart of people, transformation, and organisational capability. His work focuses on helping businesses upgrade their leadership, skills, and operating models to meet the demands of an increasingly complex and fast-changing world.
In 2008, James founded the 'ERUPT' community, a platform that now sits within Annapurna and was designed to bring together senior leaders to openly explore the realities of transformation across the HR, Technology, and GTM functions. Over the past 17 years, Annapurna has delivered 250+ executive roundtables and events and produced over 2,500 pieces of transformational content, capturing real-world insights from leaders driving change across industries.
Alongside his work at Annapurna, James collaborates closely with The RBL Group, supporting the Institute and contributing to research by bringing together world-class senior practitioners and thinkers to explore how organisations can better align strategy, leadership, and culture to deliver sustainable value.