James Lawrence

President/Founder

Power Automedia

CEO of Digital Media company in the Automotive Aftermarket.

Chief Executive Officer

Happy Companies

In the new era of work, building effective teams is more important than ever to organizational performance. Happy enhances organizational culture, communication and manager effectiveness at scale – making your people your competitive advantage. Happy is a coaching platform that uses behavioral science & AI to build a user manual for your entire team in less than 10 minutes.

CEO & Cofounder

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)

As SEMA's Chairman of the board, I worked with the SEMA Board of Directors, provide leadership to the SEMA's CEO and SEMA Executive Management team, and helped lead the SEMA Association toward the future. SEMA is the #1 automotive aftermarket association in the world representing more than $50B of revenue.

SEMA Chairman of the Board

SpeedVideo

CEO of subscription-based Live Streaming Motorsports Network. Sold to FloSports in 2021.

Select Council Leadership, FLN/Young Executives Network (YEN) at SEMA. Responsible for helping lead the Young Executive Network/FLN within SEMA along with the select council and Chairman.

Select Council Leadership, SEMA Future Leader Network

ProMedia Publishing LLC

Founder of event production/media business. Also I was responsible for charting the strategic direction for the company, new business development, acquisitions, financial operations, marketing including digital, print, radio, TV; and also oversaw media/publishing/content.

MotorTrend Group

As an editor for the Ford Media Group within Petersen Publishing (now TEN/Discovery/Motor Trend). I planned, coordinated, and developed a wide array of content.

Editor

I believe in PEOPLE.. and believe a great TEAM is the most important competitive advantage.

🌟 I'm focused on reinventing the future of work and how technology and people can work together to improve organizational culture. 🌟

I'm currently the Cofounder of Happy, a coaching platform that enhances organizational culture, communication and manager effectiveness at scale – making people a true competitive advantage. Happy uses behavioral science & AI to build a user manual for your entire team in less than 10 minutes.

💌 Want to chat? Send me a message or reach out to me at james@happycompanies.com

My journey to leadership wasn't straightforward. Early in my career, I learned the hard way that authority doesn't come from a title; it comes from genuinely understanding and connecting with your team. 

I've got an interesting background:
-launched four startups
-former CEO of Power Automedia
-former Chairman of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association
-Earned two national championships in auto racing
-Earned two youth football championships as a head coach

I'm married to my amazing wife Melissa, and father to three kids–Bradley, Jordan and Taylor. 

When I'm not leading our team at Happy or spending time with my family, you'll find me:

-coaching youth football
-driving a race car faster than 200 mph
-diving into one of my favorite books, which range from "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz to "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey.

I love public speaking on topics like innovation, leadership, organizational culture, and technology. 

I believe the cornerstone of every successful organization is its people. 

My mission is to unlock the power of human connection and happiness at work, using disruptive technology and innovative thinking. I love the process of creating things and collaborating with entrepreneurs, executives, and visionaries to solve real problems and improve the quality of work relationships.

Sales and Training Consultant

Senior Group Manager / AVP

Uber

Associate Program Manager

TeleTech

Manager - Learning & Leadership Development

Firstsource Solutions Limited

Assistant Manager - Commercial Business UK

Sr Exec Trainer - Voice and Accent

Voice & Accent Trainer

Intelenet Global Services

Sr. Customer Relationship Associate

Zenta

Process Trainer - American Express

L.E.A.P and Learning Advocate, Vendor Management, BFSI, GI, L&D, Project Management

As an accomplished Leader with a wealth of experience in daily operations, I excel in managing operational key performance indicators, negotiating KPIs, renewing contracts and MSAs, and effectively overseeing client/vendor relationships. With a strong focus on knowledge management, process optimisation, and product training, I have successfully managed operations across various industries including BFSI, GI, Tech and SaaS verticals for two decades.

My expertise extends to post-sales customer experience enhancement, fostering positive relationships with consumer, corporate, and business banking clients, and implementing efficient strategies in BFSI Customer Experience, Fraud & Risk Prevention and Collections. Moreover, I bring a proven track record in providing technical support for peripherals and online banking services, as well as Eats, Rider and Driver support for a leading SaaS organisation, ensuring a seamless user experience.

I am adept at overseeing end-to-end claims support management, delivering comprehensive pre-process and culture training across Australia, the UK, and the US. My past roles also involved vetting infrastructure, logistics, and testing IT security systems to ensure smooth operations across on and offshore locations.

Throughout my career, I have successfully led site transitions and launches in India, Philippines, US & Canada and Colombia, demonstrating a commitment to operational excellence and flawless execution. With a professional tone and a passion for achieving results, I am well-equipped to drive operational success and lead high-performing teams to new heights of efficiency and productivity.

Key Strengths:

Key Technical Skills:
- Manage Daily Operations
- Certified Facilitator & Accreditor
- Vendor Management
- Change Management
- Migration & Transition
- Team Management
- Staff Training & Development
- Instructional Designing
- Business Planning
- Strategy Planning and Execution

Key Behavioural Attributes:
- Passionate
- Open to Feedback
- Team Player
- Enjoy Learning New Skills

taplio

The Battle

James Lawrence

Joel Irugu, CLDP, CCBP

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?