About James

James founded Jonto in 2022 to focus on partnerships and projects ‘he would want to do, even if he wasn’t being paid’, where people are afforded time, space, care and expertise to grow. Jonto comprises James Freemantle and a coalition of first class practitioners in leadership, media, counselling, Organisational Psychology and assessment, theatre, disability access, teaching and filmmaking, drawn upon purposefully, subject to the context of the client.

James is an experienced executive facilitator and coach in leadership, media and communications. In 2008 he founded REDgum Communications which merged with leadership development consultancy People Measures in 2018. There he was a partner for four years.

Adventures in media, teaching and performing arts form a strong foundation for James’s work. The challenging ‘Art and Practice of Leadership Development’ at Harvard stretched his thinking and offered frameworks to navigate complexity and develop leadership. The goal at Jonto is always to create a trusting environment where people feel safe and supported enough to experiment and take the risks required to experience growth.

James has co-designed and/or delivered leadership development programs for many organisations including Smart Parking (UK, Germany, NZ, Aus), the Australian Tax Office, Dulux Group, Kraft-Heinz, Australian Public Service Commission, Australian Super, Nab (Aus, UK & US), Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Vic), Dairy Australia, MLA, Racing Victoria, Foodbank Victoria, Doxa Youth Services, Ladder and the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program. He has senior experience across government, private (technology, agriculture, healthcare, aviation, media & advertising, professional services, sports and financial services) and not-for-profit sectors and coaches C-suite and APS SES executives.

An English, History and Education graduate, farmer and furniture maker, James spent several years as a producer, director, actor and presenter on Australian TV (Neighbours, Secret Life of Us, Stingers, Postcards, Talk to the Animals…) and moved to Moscow as a newsreader for contentious international News channel RT. He has written and directed six films including Bush to Belly about 7 Indigenous kids, an Italian coffee machine and 500 bike riders in the Kimberley, which screened on ABC International and NITV, and Lemon, which is currently screening in short film festivals.