About Me

James Max, 38, is a qualified chartered surveyor with an extensive range of experience in property investment, investment banking and finance. He was a semi-finalist in the first series of BBC2's acclaimed series, The Apprentice.
 
Since taking part in the programme he has undertaken a wide array of TV, Radio and public speaking engagements. He presents LBC 97.3's flagship Business Matters show every Sunday from 5 - 7pm and regularly presents other shows on the station. He presented the Business Update on TalkSPORT from 2006 to 2008, and regularly covered for non-sport TalkSPORT presenters, having presented his own weekly show on Saturday nights on the station from January to March 2007. He writes a monthly lifestyle column for Property Week and has written for The Sunday Times and The Times Online. He regularly reviews the newspapers on Sky News and co-presents Property Pensions on Overseas Property TV (Sky 287). James was the "Business Expert" on Harvey Goldsmith "The Encore", on E4 and will be fronting an episode of Dispatches for Channel 4 in August 2008. He has spoken at corporate events, awards ceremonies and training events across the country.
 

Before The Apprentice

I joined DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, the property advisory company  in 1992. I spent most at the firm with the International Investment Team. We advised overseas purchasers on investment acquisitions and development fundings. Our team concluded some of the largest property investment and development transactions in the market at the time. I was promoted very quickly and in 1996 was made a Director of the company.
 
Working at DTZ was tremendous fun and I was sad to leave. In 1998 I was headhunted to join Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division. I worked on some major transactions including the largest single real estate securitisation in Europe of the Broadgate office complex for The British Land Company plc - a debt package of £1.54 Billion.

I also worked on the defence (the first time around) for Marks & Spencer plc and the company's subsequent corporate restructuring. At Morgan Stanley I worked with some exceptionally talented, fun and inspiring people. They were great times!

In 2001, I was headhunted (again) to join a private equity firm of distinction, which had one of the largest European focussed real estate funds in Europe. I headed up the fund's UK activities as well as being responsible for building the team, refocusing its activities and helping execute a number of exits from transactions, most notably the two Italian developments undertaken by the fund.
 
I left in August 2004 to take part in BBC2's The Apprentice