Meet the team
Get to know the people behind Grape.
James Miller
Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
James has over 25 years experience in the food industry. He has a broad range of expertise in: hospitality and catering, food safety, nutrition, allergens, menus and recipes and catering for people with dietary needs. As a Registered Nutritionist (ANutr), James’ expertise also includes food labelling, nutritional analysis and food legislation.
Read more James has ran several businesses in the last 15 years including a food consultancy, private cookery lessons, and Grape Software. He has worked with a range of food businesses from pre-starts to small producers, to universities, schools and colleges and has a large network of food inspectors and food businesses. With a passion for technology and innovation, James has taught himself web design, SEO, UX, wireframing, software design basics and development. He also has solid business acumen in the broader aspects of starting and running a business including: market research and customer development, digital and email marketing, financial management and customer account management. A prolific networker and innovator, James is constantly looking for new ideas and opportunities. Read less
Dave Sharp
Interim Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Dave has over 33 years of experience in Software development, having worked on 30+ SaaS platforms as either architect or advisor. His key skills include: web development, user experience, digital strategy, agile project management, SCRUM, localisation, technical due diligence and innovation.
Read more He also has significant experience of business development, and has been involved in a number of commercial activities at a corporate level, such as M&A, Licencing and Content Distribution. As part of running previous start-ups he has a number of years experience in contracting suppliers, joint ventures and partnership agreements. Dave is a guest lecturer at Durham University Business School where he teaches Innovation and Technology at MBA/Executive MBA level and introduces students to innovation models and processes, and can include cutting edge technologies such as blockchain, NFTs, cryptocurrency, quantum computing and the metaverse. Dave has been part of raising £13.2M of VC Investment over the past 15 years, for 7 different organisations both in the UK and USA. Most recently assisted a Welsh based games company raise £3.2M in seed funding (2020-2021). Read less
Advisory Board
Simon Rose
Strategy & Operations Consultant
A senior management consultant with over 25-years of financial services experience spanning front, mid and back-office environments. Having operated in various senior leadership and transformation roles both in industry and consulting, I have been providing advisory and consulting services to c-suite leaders, for the last decade, across industries as diverse as financial services, music licensing, petroleum, architecture, and science – and cross-border, too.
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Acting in a trusted advisory capacity, utilising my knowledge, experience and expertise, I’ve been able to support clients with their needs relating to strategy, payments, organisation re-design, succession planning, risk management and capability maturity modelling. Separately, I also help clients to optimise their cost base through areas such as programme management, cost reduction, and supplier contract optimisation (through renegotiating financial and non-financial terms more favourably to the client’s needs).
Arthur McLaughlin
Strategic Board Advisor
Arthur has had a varied career that has taken him from Research to Mathematical Modelling, to Tech Product Ownership to Consultancy, to Enterprise Account C-level ownership to CTO, COO & CIO, and ultimately Board Directorship & Advisory (for companies such as Unilever, IBM & JP Morgan Chase).
Read more In recent years he has primarily acted as a Non-Executive Director / Board Advisor for cross-sector organisations (Tier 1 consultancies, Enterprise Cloud vendors, Tech Startups, Fintechs and Public/Third Sector), where he advises on strategic direction, organisational effectiveness, risk/compliance & competitive value proposition development – and effective use of Technology. He is currently conducting NED/Board Advisory for a dual-regulated financial services firm, a City of London Fintech and an Edinburgh AI/ML start-up in the Content Moderation space. Arthur is particularly drawn to social / mission-led companies that seek to make a genuine difference through the use of science / technology / innovation. Read less
David Butler
Digital Transformation
Experienced Private Equity CTO & Digital Transformation Leader driving the digital transformations of highly successful companies.
Acquisitions, technology due diligence, corporate integration and a fundamental understanding of the value of technology to maximise price at sale. Experience of starting and successfully growing companies for sale, integrations and global carve outs. Recent experience includes creating the digital strategy and establishing a standalone IT function for a newly carved out global assurance business following a successful sale to a global PE fund. Organisational and operating model design, global recruitment of the technology team and negotiation of a thick outsourced IT model with a leading provider.
Read more 21 years of experience in technology leadership at a senior level, managing diverse global teams in complex matrix situations, development and implementation of digital transformation strategies with a focus on value creation during the scale to sale phase of private equity ventures. Design and implementation of low code transformation, enterprise citizen development and agile at scale in a global enterprise. Proven networking, thought leadership and public speaking skills at large conferences and events. In all my work I combine a strong entrepreneurial drive with solid management, interpersonal and technical ability. Read less
Sean Hopkins
Product marketing | SaaS | GTM | Strategy
Sean Hopkins is a marketing strategist specialising in go-to-market strategy, product positioning, and cross-functional leadership. He drives growth through market research, targeted messaging, and successful product launches. With experience across startups and enterprises, Sean aligns teams to deliver impactful SaaS solutions and accelerate user acquisition.
Read more Effective Go-to-Market Strategies Buyer, Market and Competitive Research Positioning and Messaging Product Launches Cross-Functional Collaboration Read less
I craft and implement go-to-market strategies that resonate with target segments, driving lead generation and conversion. For example, I’ve developed comprehensive GTM plans for SaaS products that resulted in successful launches and rapid user acquisition.
I have a proven track record in conducting thorough market research and competitive analysis. This expertise has helped clients identify untapped opportunities and maintain a competitive edge in their respective industries.
Crafting compelling narratives for all products that capture key product differentiators. Development of segmented messaging per customer type and persona. Content creation that guides prospects down the marketing funnel.
I have led product launches and updates in multiple industries and at companies in different stages of the journey from start-ups to fully scaled enterprises. Determining goals to develop launch plans and leading cross-functional teams to execute effectively. Creation of marketing campaigns to promote products to prospects and customers.
I’m skilled at fostering seamless collaboration between engineering, design, sales, and support teams. This has been crucial in driving product success, particularly in complex SaaS projects where alignment across departments was essential for timely product launches.
John Hauxwell
Data Management Specialist
John Hauxwell is a data enthusiast with a deep commitment to data ethics, governance, privacy, and security. As Chief Data Officer at AIdentity UK, he champions data quality and best practices, ensuring responsible data use.
Read more he drives strategic initiatives that ensure high-quality, responsibly managed data across organizations. With a background spanning technology, compliance, and risk, John is passionate about building trust in data systems and aligning data practices with regulatory standards. He combines technical knowledge with a pragmatic, people-first approach, empowering teams to make informed, ethical decisions. A strong advocate for continuous improvement, John works to embed data governance into business culture, helping organizations unlock value while maintaining integrity and public confidence. Read less
Steven Fee
Digital Marketing Expert
Steven has over 15 years of experience in the fields of digital marketing, branding, and strategy building.
He specialises in data analysis of business goals, target audiences, and market trends to help develop a comprehensive and robust digital marketing strategy.
Read more Steven also has expertise in search engine optimisation (SEO), social media marketing, and paid advertising (PPC), as well as inbound lead generation and automation, CRM development and processes, and account management. He also has a talent for graphic design and content creation including short-form video, blog writing and other content that resonates with target audiences and drives conversions. Steven also designs websites using PHP, HTML and WordPress, with the latest features and technologies such as workflow and process automation, AI, Web3, and blockchain. Steven lives in Newcastle and in his spare time enjoys hiking, football and DJing. Read less
Craig Cruickshank
Project and Programme Management
Craig is an experienced project and programme manager with PRINCE2 and MSP qualifications, as well as experienced in Agile methodologies, Waterfall and Kanban methodologies.
Read more He has over 20 years experience in a wide and diverse range of projects. Recently more in the technology and digital space, but he has run international events, a leisure trust, and has managed both people and process change projects as well as border readiness projects for EU Exit. With a proven track record in delivering successful projects and programmes, Craig has a commitment to excellence and adaptability has consistently driven positive outcomes, and helped to achieve organisational objectives. Read less
Bradley Channer
Interim CFO
Brad is a creative, commercial and strategic CFO, with 10+ years of experience, who specialises in raising finance, building strategies & infrastructure and implementing change management in early-stage companies – to help them scale globally and exit. He has scaled multiple companies globally including two companies into the US market.
He has worked in multiple sectors ranging from VR, Digital Health, EduTech, SaaS, Fintech, InsurTech, Manufacturing and Gaming. He has raised over $60m+ in my career from VC, HNW, PE, Debt and Grants – for companies ranging from £0 – £300m T/O with 1 to 1600 staff.
Read more Brad has been fortunate to have worked on four exits, with two being his own companies. He previously had a professional career in music and acting which gave him the skills to communicate with both tech and creative CEOs – but also be able to speak accountant, lawyer and VC – and translate between all the parties. He has built several companies’ finance and reporting departments from the bottom-up and is a specialist in NetSuite, Xero, Quickbooks, Salesforce and many expense management software tools. Some of Bradley’s career highlights are: CFO for The Outside Organisation, interim CFO for Changing Health and interim CFO for Logical Glue. Bradley mentors for numerous start-up institutions such as Mass Challenge and Big Idea Wales and currently sits on the Creative Wales Digital Stakeholder Group for the Welsh Government. Bradley is currently proud to sit on the CIMA Council representing the North East of England. Read less
Jill Taylor
Food Safety Consultant & Trainer MCIEH MRSPH
Jill is a highly experienced food safety consultant with a 40+ year background in hospitality management and further education. She has worked with companies including: Compass, The NHS, The Princes’ Trust, Local Authorities and numerous restaurants, and catering and foodservice companies.
Read more She is a fully qualified and registered trainer for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Highfield awarding bodies, Jill regularly delivers a range of courses on food safety. Jill has been advising and informally consulting with us since our inception. Read less
Heidi Turner
HR Specialist
Heidi has over 20 years of experience working as an HR professional; she founded and runs Cheviot HR, an HR agency.
She worked for a number of organisations in the public and private sector from leisure and hospitality, tech, catering, retail, cleaning and facilities management, professional services, health care, social care, education, engineering and manufacturing and more!
Read more She is highly experienced in all areas of HR, including establishing HR functions for start-ups/scale ups, employee relations case management, handling large scale TUPE transfers following acquisitions and mergers, business re-modelling and re-structuring and advising on complex appeals and at employment tribunals and settlement agreements. Heidi has advised on large scale restructuring exercises to support growth following changes in business focus, budget cuts and following acquisitions and mergers to streamline processes, reduce costs and accelerate sales. Heidi’s key areas of expertise include supporting new businesses to take on their first employees and setting up frameworks to facilitate fast growth. She is particularly skilled at supporting her clients to increase employee engagement via various strategies such as implementing employee wellbeing programmes, introducing performance incentives and fast track development programmes. Heidi is also a skilled trainer and facilitator, delivering training sessions and management workshops on a regular basis. She has excellent communication skills and can explain complex issues simply and effectively at all levels, and she prides herself in building strong, friendly relationships with her peers and clients. Read less