Dr. Tom James is CEO & CIO and co-founder of the Trade Flow Funds, a globally recognised, digitally enabled private credit platform providing non-lending, asset-backed yield generation from physical commodity trade and inventory flows—supporting essential global supply chains while delivering resilient cash- yield strategies with low correlation to traditional public market assets.

Following more than two years of intensive fintech architecture, regulatory design, and operational development, TradeFlow launched its pioneering USD Digital Trade Finance Fund in 2018, introducing a non-lending, physically settled, asset-backed approach to commodity trade and inventory finance at a time when traditional bank-led trade finance was beginning to retrench. This was followed by the successful launch of the EUR Trade Flow Fund in February 2020, extending the platform’s reach across major global trade corridors and institutional investor bases. Tom is the principal architect of the TradeFlow model, integrating deep commodity market expertise, disciplined risk management, institutional fund structuring, and scalable fintech infrastructure. The platform combines legal, maritime, technology, and operational capabilities to meet the evolving requirements of institutional investors seeking capital efficiency, structural downside protection, and portfolio diversification beyond traditional credit and market beta.

With over 35 years of senior-level commercial experience spanning commodity trading, investment management, structured trade and project finance, and strategic advisory, Tom is widely regarded as an international authority in commodity markets, supply-chain finance, and risk transformation. He is regularly engaged by governments, defence institutions, and multinational commodity groups for independent insight on market structure, geopolitical risk, and capital deployment across global trade flows. In 2014, he served as Senior Energy Advisor to the United States Department of Defense through its Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO). He has served on the Financing Advisory Resources panel for Enterprise Singapore, providing advisory input to the Singapore Government on trade and financing strategy. Alongside his executive and advisory work, Tom has held Chair Professorships and Adjunct Professorships at international universities, reflecting a long-standing commitment to applied research, executive education, and the advancement of professional best practice across commodities, energy markets, finance, and risk management. His academic roles complement his market-facing work, bridging real-world commercial complexity with institutional, regulatory, and investor frameworks.

In parallel with his leadership at TradeFlow, Tom is a serial commodity fintech entrepreneur, an experienced expert witness, and a trusted advisor to institutional stakeholders. He is also a successful published author, having written over 12 books and academic publications with leading publishers including Wiley Finance, Palgrave Macmillan, and Springer, covering energy markets, emissions, biofuels, commodity finance, and risk management.

Tom holds a PhD from Middlesex University, awarded for his doctoral research on best practices in commodity trading and risk management—work that continues to inform his investment philosophy, advisory mandates, and institutional engagement worldwide.