Howell James CBE is a communications adviser and former Vice-Chairman of Corporate Affairs at Barclays. He has had a long career as a communications adviser in government, broadcasting, and multi-national business. In 2015 he was appointed the CEO of Quiller Consultants, a strategic public affairs firm based in Mayfair.[4] He left the post in August 2017. After leaving TVam, James took up the position of Special Adviser to Lord Young at the Cabinet Office and later at the Departments of Employment and Trade and Investment.[14][16] James worked with Lord Young throughout the 1987 general election campaign.[17] In 1992 James left the BBC to join Lord Young again, this time at Cable and Wireless before being sought out by John Major who offered James a position at No.10 in 1994.[14][18] James worked with Major throughout his premiership until the 1997 general election.[13][19] He stayed on working with Major in opposition until William Hague took over as party leader.[20] In 2004 James returned to Westminster after the Cabinet Secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull and Prime Minister Tony Blair asked him to become Permanent Secretary of Government Communications.[21][22] This move followed on the back of controversy created by the government's attempts to influence reporters.[19][22] A Tory admirer referred to James' appointment in the following terms: 'You could say the man who rescued TV-AM from disaster had arrived to do the same for the government.'[23] James took over as the senior civil servant for 5000 communicators across government in 22 department and agencies and was tasked with mending relations with the media and across government following the publication of the Hutton Report.[14][24] James described his time as Permanent Secretary for Government Communications as "testing" particularly when he had to manage the Government's response to the 2005 London Underground Bombings.[9] Corporate communications James left Westminster in 1997 to set up his own Public Relations consultancy firm, Brown Lloyd James with Sir Nicholas Lloyd, the former editor of the Daily Express, and Peter Brown (music manager).[25] BLJ worked on a number of high-profile transatlantic clients including Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Eisner, the Walt Disney Corporation, and Ralph Lauren.[26] James joined Barclays in summer of 2008[20] He was responsible for group's media and government relations, corporate communications and global community initiative.[9] He worked with Barclay's chairman Marcus Agius, CEO John Varley and Investment Bank CEO Bob Diamond over the next several years of difficulties for the bank.[27] He departed Barclays in 2012 and took up a position at the international auction house Christie's.[25] James was responsible for all internal and external communications activity and corporate reputation spanning Europe, US and Asia.[25] He left Christies in 2014 to head up Quiller Consultants, a strategic communications and public affairs firm specialising in strategic communications and reputation management, it forms part of the Huntsworth Group. He was appointed CEO following the departure Sean Worth earlier that year.