James Lawson has been a business journalist, editor and publisher for 17 years. He launched New Perspectives magazine for Pearson Professional in 1996, the first UK magazine to focus on marketing technology, analysis and data. In 1998, he founded Database Marketing magazine and published it for ten years before selling to new owners 55North and going freelance in 2008. He now writes articles and copy for numerous clients in the marketing sphere and beyond. As Database Marketing’s Contributing Editor, he continues to contribute features and software reviews every month. Based in Manchester, he also covers renewable energy, usually focusing on technical issues. In a previous life, he worked as an offshore engineer in the oil industry.