James Schellhase

James Schellhase is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership experience at the helm of various high-profile corporations, including CEO, Board Chairman, and member of the Board of Directors. His career is distinguished by his ability to enhance revenue streams, implement strategic overhauls, and secure profitable outcomes, consistently benefiting shareholders and stakeholders. He has a track record of redefining companies' trajectories at different stages—mature, emerging, or stagnant—pushing them to the forefront of their industries by challenging established norms.

His profound insights into business mechanisms, market dynamics, and customer behavior enable him to forge exceptional growth paths for the companies he leads. Schellhase's expertise is particularly noted in complex deal structuring, business development, and sales, establishing him as a trusted advisor to private equity and venture capital firms and corporations looking to cement a robust market presence.

He has effectively taken companies from concept to realization, built formidable teams of high-caliber professionals, and led crucial corporate fundraising initiatives, including IPOs and secondary offerings. His extensive experience also spans the roles of COO and CFO in publicly traded companies, alongside his tenure as Board Chairman for several notable organizations.

As the founder and CEO of Breakwater Solutions, he played a pivotal role in procuring exclusive licensing rights for several IBM information governance products and steered the development of a pioneering open architecture solution. Under his leadership, his team enhanced its service offerings by integrating a superior consulting practice tailored to meet client needs through specialized domain expertise, automation, and operational excellence. This initiative significantly overcame common sales challenges and delivered substantial returns on investment to their clients.

His strategic initiatives in mergers, acquisitions, and corporate fundraising have been central to establishing global enterprises with solid market positions. His leadership stints at McCarthyFinch and DiscoverReady were characterized by rapid growth and profitability, leading to successful acquisitions that provided considerable returns for investors.