Partners in Performance appoints Adrian James as Consumer Goods & Retail lead

After recently being promoted to managing director, management consultancy Partners in Performance has now tapped Adrian James as its new A/NZ lead for its Consumer Goods & Retail practice.

Adrian James has been with Partners in Performance – now a part of global giant Accenture – since joining the management consultancy as an engagement manager in Melbourne in 2017, before which he spent more than a decade in the strategy consulting wing of KPMG.

His appointment as consumer markets leader for Australia and New Zealand follows his recent end-of-year promotion to managing director, which, in having been a partner at Partners in Performance since the beginning of 2020, would have been roughly equivalent to ‘senior partner’ according to the firm’s former leadership hierarchy prior to its purchase by Accenture last year.

“Over the past seven years, Adrian has been a driving force in shaping our consumer goods & retail practice and making us an industry leader,” the firm stated. “He is known for delivering exceptional results for clients, and his passion for empowering companies to embrace growth is truly inspiring. We cannot wait to see the future impact he will create in this new role.”

A business and accounting graduate of RMIT, James brings more than a decade and half of consulting, M&A and commercial experience across the FMCG, retail and private equity space to his new role, having originally joined KPMG in 2008 before being later promoted as one of the Big Four firm’s youngest ever Australian managers.

Ultimately rising to associate director level before crossing to Partners in Performance after twelve and a half years, James has over the course of his career worked with leading grocery retailers in more than a dozen countries, while also supporting most of Australia’s large‑scale national and multinational brands back at home to improve their commercial performance.

Consumer markets

The consumer goods & retail markets practice – which further includes fellow managing director and former McKinsey & Company senior expert Andrew Dutkiewicz – supports clients across their entire value and end-to-end supply chains, in areas such as manufacturing optimisation, operating models, cost reduction, innovation, customer engagement, and post‑merger integration.

“The consumer markets sector is filled with innovative and passionate people,” James commented. “It’s a fast-paced environment with strong growth potential, but also faces considerable challenges in shifting preferences, competition from global players, rising costs, and growing sustainability demands. Our team loves helping clients become vibrant, competitive, and sustainable.”

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