From an early age, Andrew Collins exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit and a knack for leadership. At just 19, he founded his first company, Weddingbells — marking the beginning of an illustrious career spanning more than three decades across multiple industries.
His career trajectory is marked by a series of impressive milestones. The journey began with a part-time job at Bart Smit toy stores, where his dedication and natural leadership quickly earned him a promotion to Store Manager. This early experience laid the foundation for everything that followed in business management and development — through subsequent operational roles at Toys "R" Us, LeesNet BV, and Commodore Computers BV (later Escom).
A pivotal moment came when Andrew joined Service Industries Ltd (SIL) as Group CEO. His strategic vision drove sales from $15 million to $220 million in just four years — expanding operations across Europe and securing high-profile clients including Philips and Dell. The scale-up led directly to acquisition by NCR Corporation, where Andrew was tasked with integrating SIL into NCR's EMEA operations as Managing Director — combining commercial leadership with cross-border operational complexity at corporate scale.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Andrew then founded C.A.S.S, a Rotterdam-based company built to meet the IT needs of businesses. His innovative approach and keen market insight led to expansion into satellite communications, achieving $1 million in sales within a year on minimal investment — an early demonstration of the operating instinct that has become his commercial signature.
At 12Connect, he capitalised on the burgeoning mobile market by developing an app that generated $90,000 in turnover on its launch day, establishing the company as a recognisable telecom brand. At Motto Communications as Interim CCO, he pivoted the company's commercial focus from end-users to wholesale — boosting turnover from $800,000 to $6 million in two years. As Interim CEO of Voipro International, he scaled the VoIP services provider while reducing customer support headcount from 15 FTE to 2 FTE — an 87% cost reduction achieved through self-service support and product optimisation, with service standards maintained.
Andrew's expertise extends far beyond business development. As Interim Lead Project Manager at MediaMarkt Benelux, he successfully overhauled their e-commerce platforms — launching new sites and enhancing the customer experience across the Benelux region. His ability to lead large teams and manage complex projects has been a hallmark of his work, recognised by colleagues and clients who consistently commend his energy, positivity, and ability to inspire and motivate teams.
In 2009, Andrew founded Grant & Graham — the natural evolution of a career spent operating, scaling and transforming businesses. Today, the Grant & Graham group operates from London, Amsterdam, San Diego, and the Middle East, deploying a senior network of 40+ consultants across more than 20 sectors and 100+ jurisdictions, with Andrew leading the group as Group CEO. Above the operating entities sits Grant & Graham Holding OÜ in Tallinn — the parent company through which the group now also holds five specialist businesses outside consultancy.
Those businesses are Andrew's most recent founder activity. Emberlight Artists Ltd is a London artist management company, registered in England and Wales and based in Covent Garden, representing a small roster and handling the management, booking and touring infrastructure behind an artist's career. Hostcol Ltd is a UK real estate business covering acquisition and transaction support, property and portfolio management, asset strategy and income optimisation for private and institutional owners. Soundcheck Software builds web software, mobile apps and internal business systems, and licences its own products — starting with The Desk, now in daily use at Emberlight. GG Music Productions in Singapore invests in music production and the artists behind it, and Bellwether Holdings in Jersey is the group's investment company. Andrew is Founder and CEO of all six companies — each run as its own P&L under one governance framework.
What makes Andrew different from most consultancy founders is the breadth of senior activity he holds in parallel. Alongside leading six companies, he currently sits on the Business Council of The Jobs Foundation in the UK and advises institutional clients as a Senior FinTech Advisor through AlphaSights. Eleven parallel senior roles — six founder-and-CEO mandates, one governance seat, two advisory and commercial mandates, one journalism role, and one voluntary political commitment. He is Global Sales Director & Strategic Advisor at Sona Business Pvt. Ltd. in telecoms, writes as a journalist for the International Association of Press Photographers, and volunteers with the Conservative Party in the City of Westminster. Recent past mandates include Interim Director of USA Partnerships at Itility US (San Diego), Interim CCO at Bondify, and Interim International New Business Development Director at Sona Business B.V. The story is one of relentless pursuit of excellence, adaptability, and visionary leadership — with the ability to transform challenges into opportunities. He has been in the LinkedIn top 1% most viewed profiles since 2012, with over 33 written professional recommendations from colleagues and clients.
