SESSIONS ASSOCIATES · JAMES HARWOOD
I'll help take care of your world, so you have more time to enjoy it.
Sessions Associates does not provide investment management, legal, tax or regulated financial advice.
The know-how
My experience runs from hands-on private service to leading an international private office.
As Chief of Staff to a Mayfair-based family, I led a large team across private households, yacht operations and the office, while working with external advisers, project managers and specialist firms.
My responsibilities included a substantial residential property portfolio across the UK and Europe; property purchases, estate management and major renovation work; a key role in the acquisition and operational oversight of a Feadship superyacht; and oversight of a museum-quality art collection, including work with art historians and loans to international museums.
I recruited and led senior household, yacht crew and office staff, negotiated salaries and employment arrangements, managed significant operating budgets and worked closely with lawyers, accountants, bankers, insurers and trustees in several countries.
Much of the job was less visible: understanding what mattered to the family, helping them reach decisions, handling sensitive situations and making sure the right things happened.
I started from the ground up in private households as a chauffeur, butler and estate manager. That early experience matters: I understand the realities of running homes and supporting the people who live in them, as well as the wider responsibilities of leading a private office.
Alongside this work, I also coach senior leaders in communication and productivity skills. This strengthens the way I help people think clearly, work through difficult choices and get things done.
You're speaking directly to someone who has handled the details, led the teams, worked with the specialists and carried responsibility at a senior level.
Where I can help
Sometimes you need an experienced perspective on a difficult decision. Sometimes you need someone to take responsibility for making things happen. Often, you need both.
Let's start with what you want to achieve.
I'll work out what it will take to get there, often in close conversation with you.
Sometimes that means working with your existing staff and advisers. Sometimes it means finding the right specialists for the task in hand. And sometimes it means me stepping in personally to take care of things.
You decide how involved you'd like to be, and how much you'd like me to take on. Every situation is different.
My involvement might be for a particular piece of work, a substantial project or an ongoing responsibility. Whatever the arrangement, the aim is the same: to make things easier for you and ensure they're handled properly.
Overseeing house purchases and sales, substantial building and renovation work, estate operations, and the many decisions and specialists involved. I've also helped manage significant collections and complex purchases, including a superyacht.
Helping you think through sensitive situations, weigh options and manage the practical consequences — whether that’s a shift in family circumstances, a move abroad, developments in your business interests or a change in your tax residency.
Recruiting and replacing key staff; helping decide whom to appoint and on what terms; improving how teams work; setting up a new household; or reviewing whether existing arrangements are right for you. This includes the judgement and conversations around decisions, not just the administration.
Helping you manage the many people and moving parts involved in running a complex private life — from household staff and property managers to lawyers, accountants and other specialist advisers. Making sure responsibilities are clear, important decisions are acted upon and things don't fall through the gaps.
These are examples, not a complete list. Over the years, I’ve helped clients with all sorts of situations, including plenty that don’t fit neatly into a category. If there’s something you need help thinking through or dealing with, please get in touch. I’ll tell you candidly whether I can help.
In their own words
Different perspectives from people I have worked with over the years.
“Even in the periods when he wasn’t formally running things day to day, he remained the person I turned to when I needed something handled properly. […] Whoever has James in their world is lucky.”
“Where the principal was not present, we found him to be a careful and dependable representative of the principal’s interests […] Throughout our dealings, James conducted himself with professionalism and discretion.”
“Smart, real, friendly and varied. The diversity of James’s experience shines through”
Full testimonials are available on request.
A conversation is a good place to start
Shall we see what we can sort out?
I live with my wife and daughter in Surrey.
