James Lakes

the rhythm of Microsoft's $1.7B US Health & Life Sciences business, providing general business management support for US HLS General Manager Michael Robinson through insightful analysis, reporting, planning and project management. James also drives the short- and long-term strategic planning, vision, direction and development process for US HLS sales, marketing, product development and organizational/people development.

Overall business coordination including monthly scorecards, business reviews, business group communications and financial status updates. Driving effective work-back planning to insure e-HLS business is aligned with Microsoft's operational best practices also fall within James' realm of responsibility.

Prior to this role, James was one of the Senior Industry Solutions Strategists within Microsoft responsible for working directly with strategic partners and customers to drive Microsoft's healthcare vision and strategy and helping them develop new and innovative solutions leveraging Microsoft platform products and technologies. His responsibilities include executive briefings, healthcare strategy sessions, regional speaking engagements, and engaging partners and customers in "change the game" discussions.

James has been a high-performing contributor at Microsoft for more than 10 years in a number of capacities - Business Productivity Advisor, Business Productivity Manager, and prior to his current role Senior Business Productivity Strategist.

Many describe healthcare professionals as the ultimate Information/Knowledge Workers and with James' deep knowledge of Information Worker solutions and the healthcare industry he brings a unique and powerful combination to the table providing maximum value to our customers.

James began his career with Microsoft in 2002, after living in Europe for 12 years where he had a broad range of experiences including a professional athlete, management consultant, certified knowledge engineer, and business development manager.

Prior to joining Microsoft, James worked on two major healthcare projects for the Danish Institute for Health Services Research (1) development of alternative business models to support private healthcare/hospital options in Denmark to complement its universal healthcare system and (2) utilization of innovative Artificial Intelligence technologies to capture Specialist Care expertise to support complex decision support and diagnostic capabilities within its Primary Care Physician community. Both of these projects and others have given James strategic and practical healthcare experience from a financial, operational and clinical perspective.

When James is not working for Microsoft, James works as a Practice Advisor for Genesys Family Medicine which is owned by his wife Dr. Heidi Lakes and her partner Dr. Chris Ingraham.

This gives James practical, everyday experience with the challenges that physicians, hospitals, health services providers, payors, and patients face, the complex relationships between these constituencies, and the development of strategies and solutions to address them.

An active member of the Nashville healthcare community, James recently became a member of the Board of Directors of Leadership Health Care and serves on its Strategic Development Committee.

He also supports the youth community as a mentor for young males with a group called Third Eye, Inc., and serves as a Board Member and Vice President of Support Services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherford County in Tennessee.

James earned a M.Sc. in International Business and Strategy from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, and a B.B.A. in Accounting and Computer Science from St. Mary's College.