Our Team
Each member of our team brings over 20 years of expertise in their respective fields, providing a breadth of knowledge to help in founders' scaling journeys. Having experienced the pressures firsthand, co-founders James and David created Progenii to provide the support and partnership they believe is critical to success.
James Pritchard - Co-founder and CEO
James has over 25 years of experience in people engagement and recruitment. He founded JPA Recruitment, growing it into an international business with offices in the UK, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, and served on the board of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
Having built multiple businesses, he brings firsthand insight into the pressures of scaling both organically and with investors - experience he now applies in guiding companies through growth.
David Chislett - Co-founder and Chair
David has over 25 years of senior leadership roles in growth technology businesses across the UK, Europe, and North America. He was a founder of an early fintech company, The Exchange, that was listed on the London Stock Exchange, giving him firsthand insight into the founder journey.
His experience spans from early-stage to mid-market and public companies, with a focus on fundraising, M&A, and major financial events. He has worked closely with investors on shaping strategy, managing execution risk, and scaling businesses.
Vikki Barnard - Executive Search Specialist
Vikki has over 25 years of experience in sourcing high quality talent for large corporates, SME's and start-up organisations in the UK and internationally.
With expertise spanning across industries and roles, Vikki has provided Executive Search services, including company mapping and succession planning. She brings this expertise to founder-led companies, helping them build the leadership teams they need to scale successfully.
Tony Evans – Creative Leadership Specialist
Tony has over 25 years of experience in bringing senior teams together to drive engagement, unlock performance, and deliver growth.
A Creative Leadership Specialist who has worked with small and global organisations, Tony founded the award-winning live events agency EGI:Live and co-founded the sustainability platform TripShift. This experience gives him a strategic perspective on alignment and performance, helping organisations prepare for long-term success.
Emma Jarvis – People Specialist
Emma has over 25 years of experience as a strategic and commercially focused People Specialist. She has worked across various sectors and has a proven track record of delivering transformational people strategies and managing M&A integrations.
Emma excels in partnering with senior leaders to align people agendas with organisational goals, fostering strong workplace cultures and implementing innovative HR technology and analytics.