James Forte is a career-long life science marketer with 24 years of experience in corporate strategy, brand strategy, marketing, thought leadership, and sales. James began his career in investment banking on the corporate communications team at CIBC World Markets in NYC. His first agency role was at Keating Communications where he helped establish the Life Science practice as well as the firm’s West coast office. He continued his foray into integrated marketing with Townsend Inc.’s Life Science practice in San Diego before transitioning back to the East coast to join pharma and biotech strategy consulting firm Campbell Alliance in Raleigh where he established the firm’s thought leadership and content marketing function.
James helped expand Campbell Alliance to include worldwide operations across the US, Europe, and Asia as well as launch their market research (Encuity) and training (Pharmaceutical Institute) businesses. He was appointed Head of Global Marketing following Campbell Alliance’s acquisition by inVentiv Health (now Syneos Health) where he helped integrate the two businesses while mentoring marketers across inVentiv’s worldwide subsidiaries.
James established Fairwater Marketing Strategies as a B2B marketing and sales strategy consulting firm and continued his career in advisory roles for various life science companies. He maintains a depth of knowledge of the life science marketing and selling environment across functions and company types from emerging biotechs and big pharma to medtech and digital health as well as knowledge of the investment community from VCs and private equity to investment banks and hedge funds. He has a B.S. in Communications from St. John’s University in NYC and studied international business at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy.
James and his partner Jeni live in the Raleigh countryside along with their children, Devon, Grey, Adri and Kate as well as their dogs Lila and Turbo and cats Charlie, Jack and Stella. He enjoys adventure travel, hiking, and auto racing along with spending time at church and serving on the Board of Directors at Shepherd Youth Ranch, a horse ranch offering equine therapy programs to families and groups who are suffering from trauma.
