James Schellhase

About James Schellhase

James Schellhase brings over 25 years of executive leadership experience, having served as CEO, Board Chairman, and a member of the Board of Directors for multiple high-profile companies. Renowned for driving revenue growth, executing strategic transformations, and achieving profitable exits, James has consistently delivered exceptional value to shareholders and investors. James has consistently elevated mature, emerging, or stagnant organizations to industry-leading positions and expanded market share by challenging conventional thinking.

With a profound understanding of business drivers, market dynamics, and customer motivations, James excels in creating exceptional growth trajectories for the companies he leads. His expertise spans complex transaction structuring, business development, and sales, making him a sought-after consultant for private equity firms, venture capital firms, and corporations wanting to transform their future with a strong market presence.

James has a proven track record of leading companies from concept to reality, building robust teams of high-potential professionals, and spearheading corporate fundraising efforts, including IPOs and secondary offerings. Additionally, his previous leadership roles included serving as COO and CFO for publicly traded corporations and as Board Chairman for multiple other high-profile companies.

As the founder and CEO of Breakwater Solutions, James was instrumental in acquiring the exclusive license for multiple information governance products for IBM and working with his team to design a next-generation open architecture solution. The team’s strategic approach enhanced the offering with the addition of an exceptional consulting practice that aligned the customer needs with domain expertise, automation, and operational excellence, eliminating common sales objections and yielding a demonstrable  ROI for their clients.

James has also played central roles in M&A strategies and company fundraising, building global companies with significant market presence. His leadership at McCarthyFinch led to a successful acquisition by ONIT, achieving an exceptional return within 14 months of mostly pre-revenue growth. Similarly, his tenure at DiscoverReady resulted in substantial revenue and profit margin growth, culminating in a successful sale to Consilio, which yielded exceptional returns for the investors.