Philosophy

• Valuation done right is genuinely hard, but rewarding. It requires technical depth and understanding, market awareness, and most of all, intellectual honesty.

• Transparency and intellectual honesty come before everything else. Before the methodology, before the model, before the final number. If assumptions are left unexamined, if market data is ignored because it's inconvenient, if conclusions drift from documented policies — then the number at the end creates a false sense of certainty.

• BruneHare encompasses that ethos, with best-in-class service and above all else a commitment to the client.

James has worked in financial markets for over 25 years. He began his career on Merrill Lynch Japan's derivative trading desk in a middle office position during the Asia Currency Crisis. After earning his MBA from the University of Washington, he joined Price Waterhouse (Japan) specializing in back-office operations. He then moved to Goldman Sachs (Japan) where he built his career to eventually head their Asia Pricing and Valuation Group, becoming an expert in less liquid, hard-to-value instruments. After 16 years at Goldman Sachs, working in three locations, James spent 9 years as head of valuation at Viking Global Investors, where he built and managed a team responsible for valuing $10 billion in illiquid assets. 

In his spare time, James serves as a volunteer city council member, a director for the local sustainability foundation, a lecturer in climate finance, and a youth hockey coach. He enjoys sailing, skiing, swimming, and bicycling.

Contact: LinkedIn, email: jward@brunehare.com