Where Are They Now: James Post, Founder of Ashbury Global

Since its launch in 2018, the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme has celebrated hundreds of exceptional individuals. In this series, we reconnect with some of our alumni to discover where their growth journeys have taken them, the impact of being part of the programme, and what their ambitions look like today.

At a time where more than one in 20 Brits has a food allergy, compliance and regulation specialist Ashbury Global has never been more vital. Founded by James Post  in 2010, it manages food labelling compliance for leading retailers and brands including of M&S, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Pret.

Since appearing in The LDC Top 50 in 2024, revenues have grown 20% a year. James said then he was focused on international expansion and he has delivered on that promise. The business now employs a team of 25 in the Netherlands, eight at Ashbury’s Australian office, as well as 30 international advisors to handle clients based outside the UK.

James is now winning business from brands and retail giants across the globe, including a major drink brand and a European ice cream label, and forecasts a turnover of £20m this year. “We’re seen as a trusted advisor and a safe pair of hands,” he says. “Most opportunities come to us.”

How big could this business get?

I don’t see a cap on growth. We have never lost a major client and have a great reputation. A lot of brands now see compliance as an overhead rather than a strategic advantage and want to outsource. There will always be more business to go after. We work quietly in the background, handling compliance, while they expand globally. We could keep growing 20% a year but I’ve also got my eye on a new plan to go to £25m, to £35m and then £55m.

Has your business been impacted by the AI boom?

None of our clients want to hear that we have replaced our advisers with a bot. We are AI assisted but only use technology to help humans work faster, more accurately and efficiently. AI will never replace experience, and the human interpretation of legislation. But there is increased competition from AI providers who promise clients ‘approvals without a human involved”. In my experience, clients don’t want the expert eye removed.

Any hairy moments that you’ve learnt from?

We had a critical moment where we made a small error in some artwork for a major brand. It was printed 10m times. We caught it before the product went on sale, but I had a lot of sleepless nights. That was a real turning point because it forced us to do a root cause analysis and look at all our quality management processes. We went back to that client, presenting what we had changed and the new process, and have since more than doubled revenue with them. The mistake that could have killed us became a catalyst for growth.