Debbie James

I am a Talent, Leadership Development, and Organisational Capability leader with experience strengthening leadership effectiveness and succession readiness at enterprise scale. As Director of Learning, Leadership Development and Capabilities at Coca-Cola, I partner with senior leaders across the Europe Operating Unit (1,000+ employees) to strengthen leadership capability and talent pipelines aligned with business strategy. I built and embedded a unified capability model and implemented structured OKR and performance approaches, achieving 90% adoption and improving performance cadence adherence to 85%. My work has strengthened succession readiness and leadership effectiveness, contributing to an increase in employee confidence in growth opportunities from 70% to 85% (+15 percentage points) and measurable improvements in leadership effectiveness scores. Previously, I held global capability and leadership development roles at BP, supporting leadership capability and talent development across complex, international environments. I specialise in translating business strategy into practical talent and leadership interventions and embedding leadership capability into talent reviews, succession planning, and organisational processes. I am seeking fully remote or remote-first Talent Management, Leadership Development, or Organisational Capability roles, ideally with global or regional scope. I am based in Spain and comfortable working across international time zones, travelling, if required, for key business priorities.