James Smethurst

James Smethurst is the founder of Velocity Talent, an executive search firm supporting high-growth and private equity-backed businesses to hire the leaders that drive revenue, transformation, and scale. He started his career helping other companies to attract the best talent at management, board and C-level, before building and scaling multiple businesses across recruitment and property, raising over £2 million in private investment and delivering projects with a combined GDV of £10 million+. James is known for a practical, commercial approach to growth. His work focuses on helping businesses move from early traction to repeatable revenue by hiring the right talent, building strong customer relationships, and creating the foundations required to scale. He works directly with founders and leadership teams to solve one of the biggest challenges in scaling a business: turning early success into something predictable, sustainable, and built to last.