Our People

The diverse global team behind Oritain's award-winning services.

Talk To Us Our Science
our people header new

Global Citizens

Here at Oritain, we are one team.

No one is more important than the team, nor the trust within it. While we are proud of our New Zealand roots, it is people that matter and we're a diverse, global team. 

Two Men Exchanging A Handshake In A Field

Our values

Our purpose has always been centred around Tāngata - our people.

Oritain may now be a global company, but this universal truth still resonates throughout every land and every culture in which we work. 

The Māori term 'tāngata' included all those to whom a person is connected - their tūpuna (ancestors), and their future descendants. Creating a better planet isn't just for the here and now, but out of respect for those before us and for those who will come after us. 

Man Herding Sheep On Farm

Always, what determines whether we succeed or fail... it is people, it is people, it is people.

We acknowledge and respect our proud Kiwi heritage, while celebrating being a global business made up of a diverse, multi-cultural team. 

Two Oritain Employees

OUR PEOPLE

Diverse clients, diverse industries, diverse people.

Today, with a broad client base and a range of product offerings, we recognise the need for a diverse workforce to help bring a different perspective to our relationships. 

We believe in honesty, equality and collaboration and pursue an open, respectful and fully inclusive work environment to provide equal opportunities for everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability or race. 

fingerprints large

Māori proverb


He aha te mea nui o te ao

What is the most important thing in the world?

He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata...

It is the people, it is the people, it is the people. 

Board of directors

Sir John Key Website Headshot

Rt Hon Sir John Key

Board Chairman and Shareholder Appointed Director

Rt Hon Sir John Key was New Zealand's 38th Prime Minister, guiding the country through the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, strengthening our economy and setting us up for success. A veteran of Merrill Lynch, he is known as a smart risk-taker and understands the fine balance between success and failure that growth-stage companies must strike. He only sits on three boards: Palo Alto, ANZ and Oritain.

Grant Cochrane Website Headshot

Grant Cochrane

Founding Chair

Grant Cochrane was Oritain's CEO for over 10 years and is now the company's Founding Chair, based in Zug, Switzerland. Prior to his career at Oritain, Grant has spent 11 years as a currency derivative trader and risk manager in London, New York and the Far East working for institutions as Credit Suisse, Citibank and Royal Bank of Canada. In 2001 Grant moved back to New Zealand to pursue a career in agriculture.

Alberto DE BENEDICTIS Website Headshot

Alberto de Benedictis

Independent Director

Alberto is the former leader of the UK’s second largest defence company, Finmeccanica, and brings over 25 years of board experience to the table. Having stood at the helm of an organisation generating billions in revenue annually, he carries a clear understanding of success and the behaviours, processes and people that will support us in achieving it.

Shanti Atkin

Shanti Atkins

Independent Director

Shanti is the mastermind behind industry-leading compliance platform, Navex. Under her expert guidance, the organisation grew from USD$5 million to USD$200 million in revenue and a valuation of over $1 billion USD. She understands the challenges we face and, more importantly, understands how to guide us through them as she has lived them herself. Shanti is active on a number of boards, with a focus on software and data.

Jeff Levick v1

Jeff Levick

Independent Director

Jeff is a tech veteran, guiding Spotify as Chief Revenue Officer during its key growth phase in the early 2010s. He has held business critical roles in global powerhouses such as Google and AOL, more recently applying his extensive experience to supporting the accelerated growth of start-ups with a true ability to disrupt. This includes entities such as We Are Rosie, The Players Tribune and Oritain.

Angad Singh v3

Angad Singh

Shareholder Appointed Director

Angad is a partner and investment committee member at Longridge, a long-term supporter of Oritain and, following the series B, a primary investor. Leading a number of deal teams across the organisation and managing a comprehensive portfolio, Angad is seasoned in growing promising companies from venture to IPO. He is a strong believer in us, our people and our solution, and supports us at every turn.

Jacob headshot

Jacob Bernstein

Shareholder Appointed Director

Jacob is a Principal at Highland Europe and the lead investor in Oritain’s Series C round. Highland are technology scale-up specialists who have backed numerous software businesses to over $200M in recurring revenues. Jacob joined Highland from L.E.K. Consulting in 2017. He lives in London with his wife and son, is passionate about nature conservation, and is an enormous believer in Oritain’s technology and potential.

Richie McCaw

Richie McCaw

Alternate Director and Independent Advisor

Richie is an alternate director who advises Oritain leadership and commercial teams on strategies for developing leadership and culture. With years of experience driving success in high-performance environments, he brings a "team first" mentality and dedication to excellence to support Oritain’s continued innovation and growth.

Executive Leadership Team

Alyn Franklin headshot

Alyn Franklin

Chief Executive Officer

Alyn joins Oritain as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), bringing a wealth of experience in business leadership. Most recently, he served as CEO of Alcumus from September 2017 to December 2024 (having previously held the role of COO). During his time there, he led the management team in defining the company’s strategy, with a strong focus on helping organisations create a safer, more sustainable world.

Alyn has extensive experience in the Risk Management and Professional Services sectors. Prior to Alcumus, he was Chief Financial Officer at Santia and held senior management roles at Connaught PLC, Wincanton, Coors Brewers, and Arthur Andersen. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Corporate Treasurer.

Monica Jonas

Monica Jonas

Chief Operating Officer & Deputy CEO

Monica joined Oritain as the Chief Strategy Officer in June 2022 and became Chief Operating Officer in 2023. Based in New York, Monica has 30-years’ experience across multiple sectors including WorkFusion, an intelligent automation start-up, and has spent several years in media and internet publishing delivering high-profile critical initiatives, new business ventures and building key industry partnerships. Monica is also Oritain’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

james donaldson cfo

James Donaldson

Chief Financial Officer

James joined Oritain as Chief Financial Officer in January 2024. Based in London, UK, James has led the financial teams at leading UK, European and Global organizations including lastminute.com, Travelocity, EMI, and award-winning AI software developer Ciklum. During his 30-year career, he also led the exit of Calastone, a global leader in fund management infrastructure, to the Carlyle Group.

Prof. Russell Frew Website Headshot

Prof. Russell Frew

Oritain Co-founder and Chief Scientist

Russell is an analytical chemist who started his career applying trace metal and stable isotope analyses to trace ocean processes. As a Professor at the University of Otago, Russell established the Forensic Analytical Science Major and provided forensic evidence to the courts.

Russell founded Isotrace in 2003 and then co-founded Oritain in 2008. From 2012 to 2016 he was seconded to the IAEA/ FAO to establish a food traceability programme. Russell retired from his academic position in 2021 and has since been full-time with Oritain as Chief Scientist.

natalie longhurst slt

Natalie Longhurst

Chief People & Culture Officer

Natalie has been with Oritain since June 2022, where she leads the global People and Culture function. Based in Oritain’s London office, Natalie is responsible for the design and delivery of the global people strategy, enabling us to attract, develop, motivate and retain the very best talent whilst cultivating an inclusive and engaging culture for our people. Her extensive commercial experience includes Executive and Board-level roles predominantly in the financial services sector and most recently working in FTSE 250 roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Equiniti.

frank brilliant

Frank Brilliant

Chief Revenue Officer

Frank Brilliant joined Oritain as the Chief Revenue Officer in November 2023 and is based in Boston, MA. He is responsible for all revenue-generating initiatives, including Sales, Marketing, and Commercial Operations. Frank has over 30 years of experience as a proven global leader who transforms businesses into high-growth, high-performing commercial engines. As a CEO and CRO, Frank has led successful growth, PE, and IPO exits at sustainability company Lux Research, Life Science companies Evaluate Pharma and UpToDate, and tech research and advisory company Forrester Research.

Ru Hodges Website Headshot

Rupert Hodges

Chief Commercial Officer

Rupert, Oritain’s Chief Commercial Officer, joined in 2016 and set up the first offshore office for the company in London, UK. Rupert is based in London and is responsible for developing and maintaining exceptional relationships with key customers, acting as a trusted advisor and strategic partner. Rupert’s background includes a strong financial market understanding alongside developing and implementing of customer-centric initiatives.

stew whitehead headshot v2

Stew Whitehead

Chief of Staff to the CEO

Stew joined Oritain in February 2016, responsible for strategy and business development. Progressing through several senior roles in sales, operations and client success, Stew was involved in scaling the company from a team of 16 to over 200 globally. He was appointed Chief of Staff in 2023 and is based in London, UK, where he oversees the company operations and supports the Executive Leadership Team.

We believe we can make a difference by doing things that are good for people, the planet and our business.