James Neilson in

James Neilson

Login to view DISC.
Founder & CEO at Next Ascent
📍 Thame, England, United Kingdom

James Neilson is the Founder and CEO of Next Ascent, an executive Go-To-Market coaching firm. Leveraging extensive experience from leadership roles at ServiceNow and Palo Alto Networks, he helps founders and CROs build high-performing sales teams. Colleagues and reports consistently describe him as an authentic, data-led, brilliant, and innovative leader.

Originally from a science background, James transitioned into a highly successful sales career after joining a telecoms start-up. He is a reflective individual who values his professional network and is passionate about learning from other entrepreneurs and business leaders to inform his own journey as a founder.

Unique fact: James co-authored a scientific publication on Staphylococcus aureus before pivoting his career to sales and sales leadership.

Read the full overview →
Experience
5 Years
Current Role
Founder & CEO
Job Level
Leadership
Location
Thame, England, United Kingdom
Personality Overview

How James shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

Login to view personality overview.
Priorities

Topics James cares about

GTM Coaching
As the founder of Next Ascent, he is an executive coach who partners with Founders, CEOs, and CROs to build and scale their go-to-market strategies.
Founder Journeys
He recently founded his own company and attends events to learn from other successful founders, showing a deep interest in the entrepreneurial path.
+4 more topics Login to view topics
Career

Work history

9-2025
Founder & CEO
Next Ascent
9-2025
Co-Founder
Zontally
1-2024 - 9-2025
Area Vice President, Enterprise Industries
ServiceNow
3-2022 - 12-2023
Senior Director Sales
ServiceNow
8-2020 - 3-2022
Director Global Accounts Sales
Palo Alto Networks
In the press

Media appearances

No media yetWe could not find public media appearances for this person.
Education
2000 - 2004
2i
University of Bath
2006 - 2006
Distinction
Institute of Sales & Marketing Management
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

Login to view DISC.

More profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Unlock the full playbookSee exactly how to sell to James. Free, 10 seconds.