people stand around table

Our People

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. 

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Senior Leadership Team

Grant Cochrane Website Headshot

Grant Cochrane

Chief Executive Officer

Grant Cochrane has been Oritain’s CEO for over 10 years and is 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.

Monica Jonas

Monica Jonas

Chief Operating Officer

Monica joined Oritain as the Chief Strategy Officer in June 2022 and is based in New York. She has about 30 years of experience across multiple sectors, including WorkFusion, an intelligent automation start-up and has spent many years in media, and internet publishing, delivering high-profile critical initiatives, new business ventures and building key industry partnerships.

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.

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Rupert Hodges

Chief Commercial Officer

Rupert is Oritain’s Chief Commercial Officer based in London. He joined in January 2016 and set up our first offshore office in London. He has a background in the financial markets, where he worked alongside CEO Grant Cochrane and Former Chairman Jules Pancholi.

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James Donaldson

Chief Financial Officer

James joined Oritain as Chief Financial Officer in January 2024, based in the United Kingdom. Across an extensive 30-year career, 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. Of note, he led the exit of Calastone, a global leader in fund management infrastructure, in its exit to the Carlyle Group.

natalie longhurst slt

Natalie Longhurst

Chief People Officer

Natalie has been with Oritain since June 2022, where she heads the global People and Culture team. Based in Oritain’s London office, Natalie is responsible for strategic business partnering, talent management and engagement, and organizational design. Her extensive commercial experience includes Executive and Board-level roles with Lloyds Banking Group and Ericsson.

Peter Cullinane Website Headshot

Peter Cullinane

Chief Innovation Officer

Peter joined Oritain as a Marketing Adviser in September 2021 and became Oritain’s Chief Marketing Officer in June 2022. Peter has a wealth of experience from working in senior leadership positions across the globe, including as Global COO for Saatchi and Saatchi in New York and as the founder of Lewis Road Creamery Limited. Now based in Oritain's London office, Peter heads the Innovation division, where he is primarily responsible for Oritain’s food sector business and has oversight of Government regulatory issues with a particular focus on the EU.

Olya Shatova

Dr. Olya Shatova

Head of Product Development

Olya Shatova joined Oritain New Zealand as a scientist in 2016, after she completed her PhD in Marine Biochemistry at the University of Otago in Dunedin. At Oritain, Olya has progressed through several roles including a Global Science Director and now – the Head of Product Development. As part of this role, she is applying her strong knowledge of Oritain’s product to extend Oritain’s offering by building novel solutions to the client’s problems. She also oversees the work of Research & Development, Software Technology and Data & Analytics teams.

Prof. Russell Frew Website Headshot

Prof. Russell Frew

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.

Ana Hinojosa

Ana Hinojosa

Advisor

Ana has joined Oritain as an Adviser in June 2022. Previous to joining Oritain she was the Executive Director at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection where she was responsible for directing CBP’s trade threat assessment units, special investigations and enforcement programs focused on detecting, deterring and disrupting illicit trade, with a special emphasis on forced labor violations, evasion of special tariff cases and modernizing the use of civil penalties to ensure appropriate consequence delivery for non-compliance. She has had an illustrious career with over 34 years of experience in law enforcement, international trade, international policy development and standard setting both with U.S. federal government and with the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels Belgium.