Biography

Adrian James is a Managing Director at Partners in Performance with nearly two decades of management consulting, M&A, and commercial experience across consumer sectors including FMCG, CPG, and retail. He has worked in 13 countries with leading grocery retailers and many of Australia’s large national and multinational brands, helping them achieve measurable improvements in commercial performance. He has also advised on more than 40 M&A transactions for private equity and strategic investors in the consumer sector.

At Partners in Performance, James focuses on helping organizations make the right commercial decisions to achieve growth, navigate transformation, and deliver lasting results. He is recognized for combining analytical rigor and executional speed—qualities demanded by private equity—with the ability to scale solutions across large corporate environments. His work reflects a commitment to building a competitive and sustainable consumer landscape while ensuring tangible outcomes for both companies and investors.

Earlier in his career, James was an associate director in strategy consulting at KPMG and earlier co-founded YMCA Rebuild, a social enterprise. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from RMIT University.