Wickes joins the consultancy from web application specialist Interex, where he was chief executive. He has 20 years' experience in the IT and technology sectors.
At The Listening Company, Wickes has been charged with examining ways to integrate the telephone with other communications channels, particularly the internet.
Wickes said: "I have always loved companies which leverage the telephone to such great success, as it is such a direct and non-obtrusive form of communication, and a highly effective one at that. However, in order to turn sand into gold, the challenge for marketers over the coming years is to understand how to leverage the internet to work alongside it."
The Listening Company was ranked 11th in Marketing's 2007 contact centre league.
Neville Upton, The Listening Company chief executive, said: "The Listening Company is very privileged to welcome James into the company. His experience and background speaks for itself and we are looking forward to benefiting from his immense expertise and driving our new integrated approach to customer insight."