Keith James

One of the most respected and influential figures in the Welsh business community, Keith James, has died after a short illness aged 78. Although strongly wedded to his own community, his influence spread well beyond Wales through his role as Chairman of the legal firm Eversheds, now Eversheds Sutherland.

After a peripatetic secondary education in Cowbridge, Cardiff and Pontypool, he studied law at Queens’ College, Cambridge, graduating in 1966. He then returned to Wales to take up articles with Phillips and Buck, a Cardiff law firm. He became a partner on the day he qualified and went on to build up an impressive corporate client base drawn from South Wales and beyond.

The firm later amalgamated with a number of law firms in London and the provinces under the Eversheds name, this process substantially driven by Keith. He was its chairman for nine years, from 1995 to 2004, during which it grew to have a major footprint both across the UK and beyond.  

Always interested in the economic development of his own community, for many years he acted for local financier, Sir Julian Hodge - a relationship that later led to his appointment as Chair of the Hodge Bank, a post he relinquished in 2017. Following his retirement from Eversheds Sutherland he held several non-executive positions, including a main board directorship with motor insurance providers, Admiral Group, between 2002 and 2012, chairing its nomination committee and serving as a member of the audit committee. He also chaired listed gift wrap to stationery business, International Greetings, as well as serving as a board member of  Bank of Wales.

He received an OBE in 2005 for his services to the legal profession and the community. Keith’s leadership style was collaborative, his judgment sure and his presence calm. Many of those with whom he worked viewed him as a mentor and role model.

His influence was also felt beyond the business world. With his close friend Geraint Talfan Davies, in 1986 he co-founded the think tank the Institute of Welsh Affairs. The two had a vision of an independent space for public discussion of key economic, social and environmental issues important to Wales’ current and future economy and the well-being of its people.

He was a passionate Welshman with a deep love of Wales’ communities and landscapes. He served as a trustee on the National Trust and was chair of its Wales Advisory Board. He was also a trustee of the Moondance Cancer Initiative, a charity founded to improve cancer outcomes in Wales.

Keith was a true and loyal friend, loved by many. But above all he was a cherished family man. He leaves a widow, Linda, children Alys, Lizzie and Tom and five grandchildren.