---
title: "VaynerX’s First Retiree: Celebrating a Career and a Company Milestone"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/da259d8d-213c-4cec-ac4a-ba548fdb8118
source_url: "https://vaynermedia.com/vaynerx-first-retiree-james-orsini/"
stack: https://stacklist.com/stack/06b6747f-c101-4617-8be3-3982d20706fc
summary: "James Orsini becomes VaynerX's first retiree after a 35+ year advertising career and over a decade at the company in various leadership roles including Chief Integration Officer and COO. His people-first approach and operational expertise significantly contributed to VaynerX's evolution into a global independent agency."
tags: "retirement, vaynerx, career-milestone, leadership, agency, people-first"
key_entities: "James Orsini (person), Shelby Godfrey (person), VaynerX (organization), VaynerMedia (organization), The Sasha Group (organization), Chief Integration Officer (concept), people-first leadership (concept)"
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# VaynerX’s First Retiree: Celebrating a Career and a Company Milestone

VaynerX’s First Retiree: Celebrating a Career and a Company Milestone Written by Shelby Godfrey in Blog After a 35+ year long advertising career, James Orsini just added a pretty historic accomplishment to his resume: becoming the first ever retiree from VaynerX. Originally trained as an accountant, James spent the early days of his career development deep in the finance game, auditing for major companies and crunching numbers on Wall Street. Marketing wasn’t exactly on the roadmap, but he recalls a specific meeting where for the first time, he was thinking “‘I could see myself in a place like this someday.’” And that he did.  Over A Decade (!!!) Spent At Vayner Fast forward to 2015, James ended up at VaynerMedia as Chief Integration Officer, a move that would kick off more than a decade of impact across the company. Despite not having the most traditional background for a marketing career, James understood how to make complex organizations flow. Pulling from his own operational rigor, financial discipline, and a sharp instinct for people and process, he had a rare talent for finding the right solutions, and the right teams to make things move. And it’s this mindset that’s guided him in his various roles at Vayner for the past 11 years. A list that includes agency jobs like Chief Integration Officer and Chief Operating Officer of VaynerMedia, President of The Sasha Group, and his final role as President of Startup Operations for VaynerX, just to name a few! Fun fact, in James’ time as COO, he actually ran the studio for 6 months, and often says that he had 4 titles but played 5 different roles. A Unique Approach = A World of Difference Throughout his time here at Vayner, James has always led with a people-first approach. It’s something that anybody who’s had the pleasure of meeting, and working with him, knows. By finding a way to balance the practical with the personal, something that’s not easy for many people to do, James has helped us scale tremendously. In each role, he has found ways to push VaynerX’s evolution, and build it into the global independent agency that it is today. Simply put, James has been a true force at VaynerX, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have spent the last decade with him. His success and legacy is a testament that being yourself, and using the strengths and knowledge that you have, is always the best way to show up. No exceptions! Farewell James! Here’s to a truly magical retirement, James! ✨🥂 And! Be sure to read his LBB editorial , and learn all about his journey before, during, and after Vayner. P.S. James, if you’re reading this, we’re always here for you! 💜 More posts The Overlooked Format Dominating Social Media: Comments as Creative (CasC) August 26, 2026 Be The Brand That AI Recommends: A How-To In Building Brand Visibility August 7, 2026 Why VaynerMedia’s media buyers are becoming engineers August 5, 2026 Balancing AI & Analog In The Future of Marketing: An Introduction to the Relevance Barbell Strategy July 20, 2026