JERSEY CHAMBER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- President
- Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England
- Managing Director of Grant Thornton Limited
Adam Budworth is the Managing Director of Grant Thornton Limited, a leading Channel Island practice with offices in Guernsey and Jersey and a combined staff of over 200 people. We are the Channel Island member of Grant Thornton International, a network of independently run member firms that comprise of some 68,000 professionals located in 147 markets.
Adam has an incredibly hands-on approach to leadership, having held Director roles for some 20 years. Adam's leadership style puts people at the heart of Grant Thornton's strategy and vision and encourages full buy-in to the Grant Thornton values of collaboration, leadership, excellence, agility, respect, and responsibility.
Adam has a bold vision of growth and has tripled the size of the business' workforce since he took over as MD in 2016. When Adam is not acting as Managing Director and driving Grant Thornton to success, he also heads up the local Business Advisory team, which supports owner managed and larger institutional businesses to grow their business through a series of dynamic and innovative solutions including accountancy support, payroll, and outsourcing.
Adam is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He actively encourages continuity in Grant Thornton's focus on local community and delivers significant philanthropic endeavours that help make a difference to those that need it most. Grant Thornton actively supports several local corporate social initiatives working closely with local schools, sports clubs and charities.
Adam previously held the position of Treasurer of Jersey Chamber for five years and is now in the second year of his Tenure as President of the Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
Adam is a Mental Health First Aider, an active golfer and regularly keeps fit. Perhaps most importantly Adam is a devoted husband to Glenda and dedicated father to their two children, Dolly-Rae and Johnnie.
Adam's professional and personal resilience is second to none, particularly for anyone who knows the story of the accident himself and Glenda were involved in, during 2013.
Allie was educated at St. George's Preparatory School Jersey and began working in the Finance Industry in 2004 covering many roles within banking, Fund Management and Trust. Allie is an experienced PA having worked closely with MD's, CEO's, Directors and Senior Management.
Allie is there to ensure the focus and priority of our members is a primary objective for the Executive team.
Allie co-ordinates the meetings of the eight Chamber Committees and maintains a cool head overseeing the Chamber diary for the CEO, administration of the office and is generally answerable to Crumble, the office dog.
Job Titles:
- Head of Category & Local Sourcing at the Channel Islands Cooperative
- Vice President & Chair of the Retail Committee
Daphne started her career in the hospitality industry as a chef and worked all over the world, including a stint in London for Antony Worrell Thompson as Head Chef at Drones of Pont Street. When Antony opened Metro in Jersey in 1998, he seconded Daphne to Jersey as his Head Chef.
Daphne then opened Cyrano's in Kensington Place the first Seafood & Fusion Restaurant in Jersey in 1999. After working as Head Chef for over 6 years Daphne decided to leave the hospitality industry and worked as New Product Development and Sales Executive for Cimandis.
Daphne then moved to the UK for 2 years working in New Product Development and Sales for bakeries manufacturing for Marks & Spencer. On her return to Jersey, Daphne once again revived her role at Cimandis and moved up the ranks to become Head of Sales for Jersey and Guernsey.
In 2014 Daphne took on the role of Town Centre Manager for the Parish of St Helier and was instrumental in the formation of the Jersey Retail Association and delivering town centre events. Daphne is a member of Resilience Matters charity and sits on the Tourism Development Fund board.
Daphne is Head of Category & Local Sourcing at the Channel Islands Cooperative managing the local supply, fresh, frozen and non-food categories.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Chair Digital Committee
- Chairman Digital Committee
- Director of Helier Consulting
- Member of the Association for Project Management
Eliot was the winner of the 2012 Jersey IoD Director of the Year for a Medium Sized Business and the 2012 UK National Young Director of the Year. Eliot sat as Vice-President, then President of Jersey's Chamber of Commerce between 2015 and 2019, chairing the Digital Committee during this period. During his career Eliot has developed strong principal consultancy skills, helping his organisation and his clients achieve the best from their technology and people resources.
Eliot built a technology and change management consultancy and team around him, from scratch, into a profitable and successful professional services firm that became the clear market leader in the change management services in the Channel Islands.
Eliot is now a director of Helier Consulting, providing director services and change management consultancy to clients in the Channel Islands and Europe.
Eliot is also a committee member of the Association for Project Management (APM) in the Channel Islands and an avid marathon runner.
Job Titles:
- Role of Chair of Chamber 's Sustainable Business Forum
- Special Advisor to Chamber
- Special Advisor to Chamber on Sustainable Business and the Voluntary Sector & Chair of the Environment Committee
Jim has resided in Jersey since 1979. He retired in 2011 after a forty year career in retailing from the position of Chief Executive of the Channel Islands Co-operative Society, one of the Island's largest commercial organisations and the first business to be given the Environment accolade at the Jersey Enterprise Awards (2010).
He is a graduate of Nottingham University with a joint-honours degree in Economics / Economic History and the holder of a number of management qualifications.
Before assuming the role of Chair of Chamber's Sustainable Business Forum, Jim sat on this committee, along with the Retail Committee where he fronted involvement with the authorities on a number of issues including Sunday Trading, GST and the proposed new Licensing Law.
Jim acts as Chamber's Special Advisor on matters relating to Sustainable Business and the Voluntary and Community Sector.
In addition, in a honorary capacity, Jim sits on a multitude of committees and boards holding a variety of offices and involvements.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
Justin is a seasoned finance professional with over 30 years of experience in various sectors of the industry, including banking, trust, funds, and investments.
He has held senior executive and non-executive principal positions in Jersey and London, and is currently the co-founder and CEO of Consort1, a FinTech business. He is also a director and advisory board member of BankClarity, a non-executive director of Jersey Finance, and was previously the honorary treasurer of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, Jersey Branch.
Justin holds a Finance MBA from Manchester Business School, and is a Chartered Director, Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Fellow of the ACI, Chartered Wealth Manager and Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.
Job Titles:
- CEO of a Jersey
- Chairman Employment & Skills Committee
As a strong believer in change as a catalyst for learning and growth, Leonie has over her career worked with various private and public sector organisations both on-island and internationally to support people to make change a positive journey for their people.
Leonie is CEO of a Jersey headquartered advisory firm, Marbral Advisory, who specialise in change management and learning.
A former business owner of retail businesses and restaurants, a BBC presenter for 22 years, 10 years presenting TV programmes in the USA and across Europe and having served as an Assistant Minister in the Government of Jersey, Murray brings a significant combination of business, media and political experience to the role of Chief Executive.
He served as Deputy for St Brelade and Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture from 2014 - 2018. Murray was also responsible for Trading Standards and Consumer Affairs and the Channel Island Lottery, as well as sitting on the panel for the Housing and Work Advisory Group and the States of Jersey Privileges and Procedures Committee.
The understanding of working in business, the media and Government gives him a unique insight into how to represent Members' best interests. Effective engagement and negotiation are part of Murray's remit to promote trade, influence legislation and increase prosperity for our members for the benefit of the Island.
Outside of Chamber, Murray has a prolific record of over 40 years of fund raising for local charities that runs into several millions of pounds and is part-owner and presenter on Liberation Radio.
Olaf Blakeley is an Advocate of the Royal Court of Jersey and the managing partner of his legal practice, Blakeley Legal. He specialises in litigation and commercial law.
Before qualifying as a Barrister in the UK, Olaf worked for 10 years for the BBC presenting news and current affairs programmes on radio and television.
He also has a strong practice in regulatory matters having represented clients in court challenges against the Jersey Financial Services Commission and the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority. He brings a valuable skill set and legal insight to the work of Chamber.
Job Titles:
- Chairman Building, Housing & Enviroment
- Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Chartered Construction Manager
- Procurement Leader
Simon Matthews is a Jersey-born Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Chartered Construction Manager. He is presently the Chief Property and Sustainability Officer for the Channel Islands Coop, overseeing all property-related expenditure and activities for the Channel Islands' leading food, fuel, pharmacy and funeral care business. Prior to this, Simon established and led HLG Associates, the Channel Islands quantity surveyors and project manager, from 2010 until 2023.
Simon holds Diplomas in Quantity Surveying and Arbitration, is also a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, and a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. He also serves as the interim Chair of the Jersey Construction Council.
Simon is an experienced procurement leader who specialises in delivering strategic procurement and commercial management solutions on construction projects for public and private sector organisations. Simon has worked on projects across most sectors across the Channel Islands and the UK, with values up to £15bn.
Simon is passionate about Jersey's construction and infrastructure sector, where the diverse range of careers and the prospects for career progression are, in his opinion, the best of any sector. Simon also believes in the ability of the Jersey Chamber of Commerce to represent their member's interests in these sectors as a part of a wider contribution to the island's business community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Visitor Economy Committee
- Managing Director of La Mare Wine Estate & Distillery
Tim is the managing director of La Mare Wine Estate & Distillery and Maison De Jersey. He is also a non-executive director of Jersey War Tunnels Ltd and a Trustee of Jersey Hospice Care.
His career and education in Tourism started in Ireland before he moved to Jersey in 1988 to work in retail management before taking over the leadership role at La Mare in 1998. Tim was an inaugural board member of Visit Jersey Ltd and served for nine years (retired Oct 2023). He was a founder member of the Genuine Jersey Product Association and served on its management committee for ten years.
His strategic and operational experience reaches across tourism, retail, and food & drink manufacturing for the past 30 years.
Tim was named SME Director of the Year in the 2017 national IoD Awards and the business he leads has also won accolades for its environmental green business leadership.