Grantchester’s partners have decades of experience in the healthcare, energy, and electrification sectors.
We are committed to working together with visionary entrepreneurs and capital owners to advance the conscious use of capital and drive meaningful impact.
I started my career on Wall Street and founded my first company in 1993. That marked my foray into the world of entrepreneurship and later, as a private equity backed operating CEO.
Managing Partner
Liz is responsible for transaction origination, fundraising, investment policy, investor relations and the general management of the firm.
Liz Griggs is a nationally known thought leader, visionary and senior executive in the Healthcare industry. In 1993 she launched One Call Medical which was the platform for what is currently the largest Workers’ Comp ancillary care company in the U.S. with over $1.5 billion in revenue and sold for $2.3 billion to a large PE firm. Ms. Griggs is also a leader in the corporate wellness marketplace as former Chairman & CEO of WorkWell Prevention & Care providing on site rehabilitation services to Fortune 500 companies including addressing the epidemic of obesity and opioid dependence in the workforce.
As the Managing Partner & Founder of Grantchester Group, Liz has built a team of leading CEO's and Senior Executives who have track records of building and operating highly profitable companies in the healthcare, energy, infrastructure and technology markets, with enterprise values between $200 million and $3 billion. The Grantchester team has developed several platforms with significant opportunities to improve and disrupt current business models in energy, healthcare and technology. This is achieved through new applications of technology, innovative new products, and driving growth in sales & improved operations. Some energy and healthcare transactions that require billions of dollars of equity are made possible through partnerships with large PE funds and co-investment with large LP’s, who value the high performance proven teams with innovative strategies built by Grantchester.
Prior to her Operating roles Ms. Griggs worked for the investment banking firm, Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette in both New York and Boston.
Ms. Griggs was a Dean’s Scholar and graduate of the University Delaware, she also participated in the Owner/President Management program at the Harvard Business School.
Liz was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. She is a member of Women in Private Equity (WAVE), and Women Corporate Directors (WCD). She also mentors young women in their business careers and volunteers to help foster children.
Ms. Griggs currently serves on the advisory board of The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is also on the board of advisors of the University of Delaware's Horn Program in Entrepreneurship.
Partner
Operating Partner
Diplomat of the American College of Radiology
Dr. Cooper brings his deep expertise in Radiology, Medicine and strong business perspectives to the Grantchester Team. After receiving an M.B.A , he combined his expertise in Radiology and Interventional procedures with his business acumen to provide a myriad of services for many health care related ventures. He has performed due diligence for various private equity firms as well as participating in many healthcare related round tables.
Mark was the president of the Physician Advisory Board of a national medical malpractice company. His expertise in operations management was utilized as a physician consultant for Radiology Business Solutions, a national company that managed numerous Radiology practices in the U.S. His roll was to act as mentor to large practices and provide guidance in leadership as well as the business of medicine. His roll was also integral in contract negotiations, always looking to create a “win-win” result for the Hospital and practicing Radiologists.
He has lectured for the American College of Radiology on topics such as practice management, retirement planning and investment strategies. As a member of the Managed Care committee of the American College of Radiology, he has been involved in national contract negotiations for reimbursement and appropriate utilization as well as coding. This committee has been on the cutting edge of the evolution of medicine and its progress during these challenging times.
His expertise as a consultant for a National Utilization review company entailed interacting with various CMO’s in the U.S. His depth of knowledge of all aspects of medicine was integral in this roll.
As Chief Medical Officer of Next Image Medical, his roll was to develop best practices for thousands of imaging centers . This created an efficient model to have the most appropriate studies performed ,thus enabling the patient/employee to be able to return to work in a timely manner without negatively impacting their performance. The need to have all specialties of medicine work together seamlessly to provide the most appropriate medical care as the primary goal was the primary focus.
Mark was Chief Resident at Thomas Jefferson University for two consecutive years. He received a fellowship in Interventional Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University and was an Assistant Professor. He was also Chief of Body Imaging.
One of Mark’s passions is baseball, where he was one of only three people to have their collection exhibited in the Baseball Hall of Fame n Cooperstown N.Y. He authored, Baseball Games: Home Versions of the National Pastime and is considered the world’s expert on this topic.The Smithsonian Institute has acknowledged Mark as having one of the top twenty baseball memorabilia collections in the world. He is highly respected as a baseball historian and has sat on many panels related to his expertise and love of the game. He is currently employed by the Cincinnati Reds and was inducted into their Baseball Fantasy Camp Hall of Fame.
General Partner
Scott is a General Partner of Grantchester Group. He joins with over 30 years of experience as an accomplished business leader with a unique and deep expertise creating value through Strategic Talent and Human Capital & Operations leadership in Fortune 50 companies, private equity business, and small cap operations. At Grantchester, he oversees all senior talent sourcing, assessment, and development of high performance portfolio company leaders and Grantchester Sr. Advisors. Scott’s ability to seamlessly influence leaders in multiple industries, at the intersection of C-suites and Boards provides a clear advantage to create value in the marketplace.
Prior to Grantchester, Scott was the Sr. Operating Executive – Human Capital at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. At WCAS, he was responsible for developing, implementing and leading human capital initiatives across a portfolio of 30 companies with revenue of $24 billion and 100,000 employees. Prior to WCAS, Scott served as a Lead Human Resource Executive at Cerberus working with investment professionals on diligence, integration, organizational re-design, business transformation.
Previously Scott was: CHRO at Dex Media throughout its carve out, IPO and subsequent acquisition; Vice President, Human Resources at Frito-Lay/PepsiCo where he led U.S. Operations; He started his career at Kraft General Foods with multiple roles in human resources, operations & new product development.
Scott is a Governance Fellow of the National Association of Corporate Directors, serving as the lead advisor or board member to multiple healthcare and HR technology focused businesses.
He earned a Master of Science in Management and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ashland University.
Partner
At Grantchester, Peter oversees Mergers & Acquisitions and serves a key role in deal generation and structuring transactions. His unique experience evaluating deals from multiple perspectives enables Grantchester to quickly identify opportunities to pursue and conversely to avoid.
Prior to Grantchester, Peter was the head of Mergers & Acquisitions and General Counsel at Canterbury Healthcare. Prior to Canterbury Healthcare, he was the managing partner of Leeson Law Group, P.C. and he was also a partner at another investment firm. Additionally, he was recognized by Super Lawyers® as a Rising Star from 2011 to 2014.
Industry Operating Executive – Transportation & Energy
Mr. Thompson brings 40 years of transportation & energy related senior leadership and investment experience to Grantchester’s related verticals.
Senior Advisor
Mr. Stanton is a managing director in JLL’s New Jersey office. In his current role, he represents the firm’s corporate clients and other users in all their real estate matters.
Mr. Stanton has managed projects for some of America’s best-known companies including Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, Wyeth, Mitsubishi International Corp., Merck, Loral Space & Communications and Sanofi-Aventis.
Mr. Stanton began his career at JLL in July 2008 due to the merger of The Staubach Company.
Prior to joining JLL, Mr. Stanton was one of the two managing principals of The Staubach Company’s New Jersey corporate services division. Mr. Stanton joined Staubach in November 1998. In 1997,he was a principal of Loughlin Stanton, LLC, a commercial real estate firm he founded with his partner, Daniel J. Loughlin. Prior to the formation of Loughlin Stanton, LLC, Mr. Stanton was vice president for George Mintz & Company, Inc., a corporate real estate company where he specialized in tenant representation.
Mr. Stanton is a cum laude graduate of Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He is a Leadership New Jersey Fellow and is active in several civic leadership roles including membership on boards for Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in Washington, D.C., the Regional Plan Association, the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce and New Jersey City University. Mr. Stanton is also active in several industry trade groups on a local and national level including Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC) and Biotechnology Council of New Jersey (BioNJ).
Lead Senior Advisor
Mr. Murphy spent most of his career consulting to global and U.S. multi-national corporations at c-suite levels, while building consulting partnerships resulting in client engagements across 30 countries throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Under Mr. Murphy’s leadership, clients experienced high-impact management consulting resulting in achievement of superior organizational performance through alignment of strategy, process and human capital in both public and private sectors.
As a founder and President of ODI International, his firm was named to INC Magazine’s List of 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the US for two years running. ODI was acclaimed for its ability to cascade client strategies through rapid deployment and alignment of strategy at all organizational levels. He lived and worked in Singapore expanding the firm’s footprint across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The firm’s clients included broad industry representation across healthcare and life sciences, financial services, technology, professional services, industrial, consumer. Prior to his consulting career, Mr. Murphy held executive positions with CBS, and Control Data.
Mr. Murphy has served on numerous advisory boards, including; RSR Partners, Princeton University’s Faith and Work Initiative, a founding member of the Instructional Systems Association and the Greenwich Leadership Forum.
Mr. Murphy received his Bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a minor in Science from Windham College, and served active duty in the United States Marine Corps.
Advisory Board Member
Aimee Senour is a Global Sales IT leader with years of experience in global strategic planning, process improvement, governance, and leading teams throughout the US, Asia, the UK, and South America. She has spent time as an underwriter for Inspire CIO Philadelphia, Advisory Board Member for PACT, and an advisor for Drexel University Presidents Parents Council. Aimee is committed to supporting Women in Technology and recently led the Webinar “Women in Technology a Reason for Optimism.” Within these commitments, Aimee discovered her passion for supporting professionals and organizations that promote DEI and professional growth.
Aimee is presently the President of Proactive Performance Solutions. Proactive is an IT Consulting firm established in 1993, headquartered in Delaware.
PE, CPE, President, Von Lore Group Energy
Lori Van der Voort is President and CEO of The Van Lore Group, a regional leader in providing strategic energy planning, engineering solutions, project management, and energy procurement consultation. Relying on Fortune 100 experience, Ms. Van der Voort established a cutting-edge Energy Consultation Practice within a preeminent engineering firm, serving as the founding Director of Energy. Ms. Van der Voort expanded the company’s energy sector services to include utility and energy brokerage, establishing for owners of sustainable projects a distinct service group that routinely yielded double the predicted savings. Her leadership and superlative grant writing, secured over $27 million of pure grant funding in one 5-year period. Ms. Van der Voor has more than 20 years of experience in the complex, ever-evolving industry of energy management. She is active in numerous local, regional, and international associations focused on energy and sustainability. As one of the founding members of the Council of Women in Energy and Environmental Leadership (CWEEL) and member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), Lori is passionate about the advancement of women as industry leaders and was instrumental in developing the organizations’ s Mentoring Program.
Ms. Van der Voort holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. She is a Licensed Engineer, Certified Energy Purchaser, and Certified Carbon Reduction Manager, and she is an active member of the American Energy Engineers Association. She also belongs to the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Senior Advisor
Brandon Akiyama has over 15 years of experience in investment banking and private equity. During his career, Mr. Akiyama has advised publicly traded companies, family offices and high net worth clients. Mr. Akiyama previously served as Managing Director for Greenhill Companies, an alternative asset management company which primarily invested within financial service companies and commercial real estate. During his leadership at Greenhill, Mr. Akiyama acquired over $250MM of commercial real estate located throughout the Sun Belt and Southern California. In addition to overseeing new investments, Mr. Akiyama served as a trusted advisor to various international investment companies as well as foreign investors. Mr. Akiyama began his career at a private equity company where he oversaw the placement of over $300MM of investor capital.
Throughout his career, Mr. Akiyama has excelled at providing superior customer service to his clients by delivering customized and thoughtful business solutions to meet each individual's need. Mr. Akiyama has expertise in restructuring, syndications and structured finance. Mr. Akiyama holds a B.A. degree from the University of California, Irvine. He is involved with various non-profit organizations throughout Orange County, CA, and is an active member of the Newport Center United Methodist Church.
Operating Partner
Ghentry Pace has been in leadership for more than 25 years working for some of the most well respected healthcare organizations in the country such as Intermountain Healthcare, Apria Healthcare, Conifer Health Solutions and Fresenius North America. His career started in the US Army as a Respiratory Therapist and has progressed through multiple senior leadership opportunities in clinical management, finance and operations. Ghentry has led teams of more than 40 00 people, been responsible for more than $12B in net patient revenue and most recently was the CEO of the largest full service Sleep Diagnostic provider in the country. He has been very successful leading large teams in the not for profit, publicly trade d and Private equity space. Ghentry is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare executives and still maintains his clinical license as a Respiratory Therapist. He has three sons and lives in Texas with his wife, the boys, and a menagerie of animals on a small ranch.
Senior Operating Advisor
Gordon Clark has an extensive and varied set of executive experiences as CEO, Company Founder and Board member. His leadership in healthcare, training, technology and services allows him to impact many of Grantchester’s target verticals.
Senior Operating Advisor
Rob began his career as a structural engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company. Leveraging his technology experience, he entered software sales. In 1990 Rob joined start up, Rasna Corporation, where he spent five years building field operations in the US and internationally, while living in Germany. After Rasna was acquired by Boston-based Parametric Technology Corporation, Rob spent the next year consulting in the venture capital industry in Silicon Valley.
In 1996, Rob co-founded Ariba, Inc. By leveraging web-based technology, the founders automated the traditional purchasing process in large organizations, revolutionizing commerce between companies. Rob led sales of Ariba taking them from zero to $250 million in four years, making them the fastest growing software company in the industry. In 1999, while living in Holland setting up international operations and customers, Ariba went public and was cited as one of the top 10 IPO’s of all time, reaching a 42-Billion-dollar market cap nine months after the IPO. Rob retired from Ariba as EVP and CMO in late 2000 where he architected key relationships with companies like Dell, Microsoft, Bank of America and American Express.
Since 2001, Rob has developed a portfolio of technology companies. In 2003, he invested alongside Sequoia Capital in LinkedIn, and became a board member. In 2007 he became one of the largest personal investors in Bloom Energy where he serves as a Sr. Advisor to the CEO and his team.
Rob lives in California with his wife Rebecca and five children.
Operating Partner
After over 33 years at Siemens, David transitioned to a new chapter, relocating to the warmer climate of North Carolina with his wife. At Siemens, David served as the primary point of contact and Account Manager, focusing on meeting end users' needs through proposals, specification writing, estimating, and technical support for Energy Management and Building Automation Systems.
David developed strategies to expand the value of Siemens' offerings for his accounts, driving new business across all product lines to achieve company objectives. During his tenure, David developed many relationships with customers and colleagues and is grateful for the career at Siemens, attributing his honors and achievements to the exceptional organization and talented teammates in Blue Bell, PA, and across the country. David was often quoted for recognizing his colleagues, "I may have scored the touchdowns, but it was my teammates who did the hard work behind the scenes.
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Senior Advisor
Shona Kerr is a distinguished squash coach, former professional player, and businesswoman. She has presented on female athlete coaching at the World Squash Federation conference in Egypt and competed internationally in Malaysia, Sweden, Holland, and the UK. Kerr now focuses on Pickleball as a professional team owner and facility developer.
Originally from South London, Kerr has coached the world's number 2 player Hiddy Jahan and was ranked number 1 in her age group in the USA last year. She represented the USA in Racketlon at the 2018 World Championships and helped establish the USA Racketlon governing body.
As head coach of Men's and Women's Squash at Wesleyan University, CT, for 19 seasons, Kerr is the all-time winningest coach in the program's history and a two-time NESCAC Men’s Squash Coach of the Year. She previously led World Class Squash summer camps with top players and served as President of the Women's College Squash Association, where she played a key role in revamping college squash.
Beyond sports, Kerr is an accomplished musician, performing with the Basukes duo, The Reanimators, and the Middletown PBA Pipes and Drums. Shona is dedicated to excelling in Pickleball and advocating for the sport.
Operating Partner
Dr. John J. Orris, DO, MBA, has joined as an Operating Partner to its esteemed team. Dr. Orris brings an extensive wealth of experience and expertise in the health industry, amplifying the firm's capabilities in the healthcare sector. He extensive background blends medical expertise and business acumen, embodying excellence in reproductive medicine. Graduating with distinction from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Saint Joseph's University, his dual degrees in Medicine and Business Administration laid the foundation for a pioneering career.
Dr. Orris honed his skills through diverse experiences, including a residency at Lankenau Hospital and a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Connecticut Health Center. His research at the Transgenic Animal Facility showcased his commitment to innovation in reproductive technologies.
As a Co-Owner of Main Line Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, Dr. Orris transformed countless lives, specializing in personalized fertility treatments. His leadership and compassionate care earned recognition as a technological trailblazer, offering cutting-edge solutions like in vitro fertilization, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and advanced reproductive therapies.
Notable accolades, including awards from Berlex Laboratories and the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, underscore Dr. Orris's commitment to excellence. His affiliations with esteemed medical associations reflect his dedication to advancing reproductive medicine.
With a career marked by innovation, compassionate care, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, Dr. Orris drives hope for individuals and couples seeking the gift of parenthood.
Senior Operating Advisor
James J. Ruggiero, Jr. Esq. has joined Grantchester Growth’s Advisory Board bringing more than three decades dedicated to the practice of law in the Philadelphia region, James (Jim) Ruggiero is a seasoned legal professional renowned for his expertise and commitment. Establishing the Ruggiero Law Offices in 1990, he has been a trusted advisor in Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Elder Law, Business Law, and Real Estate matters. Jim’s fervor lies in helping families craft enduring legacies while extending strategic counsel to businesses, guiding them on growth, tax planning, mergers, acquisitions, and business succession.
Beyond his legal practice, Jim actively engages in community service, contributing as a board member of the Ardent Community Trust of PA. His leadership extends to past presidencies at the Chester County Estate Planning Council, Immaculata University Business Department Advisory, and the Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of Pennsylvania Foundation. He’s a respected content creator and presenter for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, sharing his knowledge with peers and aspiring legal professionals.
His accolades speak volumes about his standing in the legal arena. Jim has consistently been recognized as a Top Attorney in Trusts and Estates & Elder Law by Main Line Today Magazine, earning the Five Star Wealth Manager, Best in Client Satisfaction Award for an impressive five consecutive years.
Presently serving as the managing partner of Ruggiero Law Offices LLC, Jim leads with offices located in Paoli and Center Valley, PA, continuing his legacy of providing exceptional legal guidance and unwavering dedication to his clients and community.
