# James Gray

> James Gray is the founder and CEO of Kortext, the digital learning business established in 2013. Previously the founder of Coutts Information Services and CEO of Ingram Digital, he helped build digital-book services before returning to Britain to focus on university learning. Based in Poole, Dorset, he is also an Arts University Bournemouth governor and an investor in technology businesses.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Kortext
- **Organizations:** Kortext, Coutts Information Services, Ingram Digital, Arts University Bournemouth
- **Known for:** Founded Kortext in 2013; its current company overview reports more than three million users at over 5,000 institutions worldwide., Built Coutts Information Services before its acquisition by Ingram in 2006., Served as CEO of Ingram Digital, working on early digital-book services for major technology companies.

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Started the rapid academic-book supply business Coutts Information Services with his younger brother; Gray dates its limited-company formation to 1992.
- **2006** — Sold Coutts to Ingram and moved to Nashville to establish Ingram Digital.
- **2013** — Founded Kortext after returning to the UK.
- **2019** — Led Kortext through a further investment round led by dmg ventures.
- **2022** — Solutionpath joined the Kortext group, adding student engagement analytics.
- **2023** — Marked Kortext’s tenth anniversary and introduced generative AI study tools.
- **2025** — Kortext developed fusion with Microsoft, acquired Talis from Sage, and announced an AI collaboration with Oxford Saïd, Microsoft and Instructure.
- **2026** — Continued as Kortext founder and CEO; the company announced GOBI catalogue integration on 1 June.

## Achievements

- Founded Kortext in 2013; its current company overview reports more than three million users at over 5,000 institutions worldwide.
- Built Coutts Information Services before its acquisition by Ingram in 2006.
- Served as CEO of Ingram Digital, working on early digital-book services for major technology companies.
- Serves as a governor of Arts University Bournemouth.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Kortext announced that its perpetual-access eBook catalogue became discoverable in EBSCO’s GOBI, covering more than 3.5 million titles from over 10,500 publishers.
- **2025-11** — Kortext announced collaboration with Oxford Saïd Business School, Microsoft and Instructure on AI-powered personalised learning in Canvas.
- **2025-10** — Kortext acquired Talis from Sage to expand its library workflow products.
- **2025-07** — Kortext’s chief product officer described fusion, developed with Microsoft, as an institutional platform connecting content, data and AI.

## Links

- Website: https://www.kortext.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgray1/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/james-gray
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21