From Teacher to Renewable Finance Recruiter

The Story of James Watts

Not everyone plans to work in recruitment.

James didn't.

In fact, before recruitment, he was a teacher.

Over the years I've spoken to hundreds of recruiters, and one thing I've noticed is that very few of the good ones actually set out to do this job. Most find their way into it through a combination of curiosity, opportunity and timing, often described as "falling into it".

That was certainly the case for James.

Like many people, he saw recruitment as a chance to build a career that offered more autonomy, more progression and more variety than the path he was on at the time. But what struck me when I got to know him wasn't his career history—it was what motivated him.

At his core, James is a people person.

He's someone who genuinely values relationships, being surrounded by good people and nurturing a shared passion between them. He cares about performance, of course, but he also cares about enjoying what he's building and who he's building it with.

When James joined EWI, he was already working within renewable energy recruitment and had built a solid foundation for himself. As he immersed himself further in the renewable energy sector, he started to see the industry differently. The work felt more meaningful because it was connected to something bigger than recruitment itself. The conversations weren't just about vacancies and placements—they were about projects, investment and the future of energy.

And somewhere along the way, he spotted an opportunity.

He noticed that while a lot of attention was being given to engineering and technical talent, there was far less focus on the finance professionals helping to fund and drive renewable energy projects.

That observation eventually became a niche.

And that niche became something much bigger.

What I think is important to understand about James is that he didn't join EWI with a five-year plan mapped out on a spreadsheet.

But he did have a clear idea of what he wanted his career and life to look like.

He wanted to specialise further within renewable finance.

He wanted to build something that felt like his own.

And he wanted the opportunity to live and work in Spain.

What I've always appreciated is that he wasn't waiting for somebody to hand those opportunities to him. He had a vision and was prepared to put the work in to make it happen.

Our role was simply to back him.

Over time, EWI supported his move to Málaga, he worked on developing his market and gave him the autonomy to continue building his niche.

Because that's always been our philosophy.

Success isn't about forcing talented people into a predefined structure.

It's about creating an environment where they can build something for themselves that they are genuinely passionate about.

Today, James is doing far more than filling jobs.

He's helping shape a specialist market that sits at the intersection of renewable energy and finance. He works closely with investors, developers and private equity-backed businesses, partnering on some of the industry's most important hires.

What's equally impressive, though, is how intentional he has been about building the team around him.

When I speak to James, our conversations rarely focus solely on performance metrics.

He talks about culture.

He talks about retention.

He talks about emotional intelligence.

He talks about creating an environment where people can achieve ambitious goals without feeling like they need to step on the people sitting next to them to rise to the top.

The team he's building reflects those values.

And I think that's a big part of why he's been successful.

The truth is, James' story isn't unusual at EWI.

In many ways, it's exactly what we're trying to create.

We're looking for experienced recruiters who have ideas of their own.

People who can see opportunities in the market.

People who want to develop a niche, expand into a new geography or build a team around a vision they believe in.

People who care not only about what they bill, but also about the kind of leader they want to become.

For some, that might mean creating a new vertical.

For others, it might mean building a team from the ground up.

For others, it could mean helping shape an entirely new sector within the business.

The common thread is ownership.

You're not joining to maintain something.

You're joining to build.

Today, James works from Málaga and is helping grow one of EWI's key international hubs alongside a diverse and ambitious team.

But if I'm honest, the location isn't really the story.

The story is what he's been able to create.

The move to Spain, the progression and the growth have all come from having the freedom to build something meaningful and the support to pursue it.

That's what I think makes EWI different.

We don't just look at what somebody has done.

We're interested in what they want to build next.

Our CEO, Mat West, often says:

"I don't want EWI to be number one. I want all of our teams to be number one in their space."

For me, James' journey captures that perfectly.

And he's one of many people across EWI who reflect what can happen when talented people are given the ownership to build something of their own.