William M. James

Bill James is Senior Partner, Human Resources(HR). He spent 37 years with Procter & Gamble in a variety of Research & Development capacities.  As a practicing engineering and innovation manager he advanced to head Procter & Gamble’s Food Product Development organization.  He then moved into R&D Administration as the HR Director for P&G’s worldwide R&D and, subsequently, as the Executive Assistant to the Company’s Chief Technology Officer.
 
In his Engineering career, Bill was involved in product development and plant support for virtually all of the Company’s food and beverage products.  Notable accomplishments were the development and national expansion of Pringles Potato Chips, the conversion of vegetable oil processing from batch to fully continuous chemical operations, and the creation of technology advancements in instant coffee processing.  His engineering career included 3 years of manufacturing experience involved in quality assurance and computer process control. 
 
While HR Director for R&D he was involved in the globalization of P&G’s labs in Europe, Latin America and Japan.  This major organization development and design effort led to a considerably effective, highly interactive and coordinated system of R&D capability.  He was responsible for staff development and training programs for the Organization.  He led the development of a single-role, dual ladder Technical Career System that was implemented globally.  As an active member of the Industrial Research Institute, he chaired the Human Resource Directors’ Network.  Under his leadership the Committee created a national diversity and dual ladder measurement system, initiated a national survey of technician compensation, and conducted research on reward systems and motivation.
 
As the Assistant to the CTO, Bill managed a variety of key Government interactions with the National Academies, Government University Roundtable, Office of Science and Technology Policy and initiated collaborative projects with Federal laboratories.  He headed the IRI’s Federal Science and Technology Committee. 
 
Bill also developed and implemented portfolio management techniques for P&G’s new brand development program.  He produced and directed a series of global satellite broadcasts highlighting the Organization’s worldwide R&D capability and contemporary issues.  He leads seminars and workshops and lectures on innovation management in professional and academic venues.  He remains active in the IRI and is a Fellow at the Center of Innovation Management Studies (CIMS).