Philip James Firstleaf CEO Rating

Firstleaf CEO Philip James Bio

Philip James is a serial entrepreneur who has spent the past two decades in the wine industry developing properties which leverage technology with human insight and world-class winemakers to deliver finely crafted wines at an affordable price point.

As CEO and founder of Penrose Hill, Philip oversees one of the 100 largest wine producers in the U.S., selling wines across North America, Europe, and China. Penrose Hill also sells direct-to-consumer through its wine club, Firstleaf, which has more than 150,000 members. Penrose is backed by investors including Greycroft Ventures and Loeb Enterprises.

With a biochemistry degree from Oxford University, a MBA from Columbia University and status as a Certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators, Philip has had a lifelong passion for wine and has founded a number of successful wine-centric concerns. His previous ventures include serving as Chairman of CustomVine, a wine company that makes private label wine for restaurant chains and the hospitality industry. He was also the founding Chief Executive Officer of both Lot18, a private sale site for wine and food provides consumers with access to a curated selection of wines. and Snooth, a lifestyle media company with several properties, including Snooth.com, TheSpir.it and WhatsCook.in.

Philip was named a Finalist in the 2012 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards and to Business Insider’s 2011 “Silicon Alley 100” list of the most important figures in the New York tech sector. Philip is also a mentor at the New York branch of Techstars, a startup accelerator program

Outside of the office, Philip is an avid mountaineer and a sailor. A certified Yachtmaster, Philip has sailed in many offshore races, including the Transport-Atlantic American Red Cross race. He has also climbed on five continents and climbed Mount Everest in 2003 and played a critical role in the high altitude rescue of Conan Harrod from Everest"s North Face.

In 2013 Philip rode his motorcycle 17,000 miles around the world, raising money for Wine to Water, a water charity with projects in 15 countries. In a PR initiative to bring awareness to Wine to Water, Philip co-presented The Miracle Machine, an innovative device which purportedly changed water to wine in three days. The hoax went viral with over 500 million media impressions and over 500 media outlets around the world covering the story. Wine to Water is the official charity of Firstleaf.

Firstleaf CEO Philip James At a Glance

The CEO score provides an understanding of how employees feel about the CEO’s leadership style and effectiveness at Firstleaf.

Based on 36 ratings, Philip James ranks right above Constellation Brands' CEO, Rob Sands.

Firstleaf's CEO is highly regarded by Caucasian employees, employees with Over 10 Years experience, and Male employees. Overall, the CEO score has remained stable over the last 90 days.