Our Team
Rebecca James - Managing Director
Rebecca (NEE GRAVEN) is the 6th generation to be Managing Director of James Graven & Sons Ltd. Rebecca worked for Lloyds Bank Bank for 5 years before joining family business in July 1993 shortly after she married Jonathan. Rebecca was responsible for all the company’s administrative rolls. This consisted of HR, Health and Safety, Payroll, producing monthly management accounts along with the managing the company’s rental Properties, before taking over when her father Tim retired. Jonathan came to support Rebecca with the running of the business in January 2000 some six months after the birth of their daughter Emily. Together they are a formidable team and they have successfully brought James Graven & Sons through an exciting transition from Forecourt petrol stations to Convenience Retailing, winning a number of prestigious awards along the way. Rebecca is still involved with all decision and succession planning of the business, and she now has a happy work balance between the company and looking after their two children Emily and Joshua.
Jonathan James - Operations Director
A local farmer's son, Jonathan has spent the majority of his working career in the fresh produce industry despite a brief spell working for Barclays Bank. He has been in Senior Management within a number of companies since 1988, mainly in the trading departments. Just prior to joining James Graven in January 2000, Jonathan was General Manager of a potato packing and exporting company based in Cambridgeshire. Since joining the company Jonathan has assumed a wider role at national level within the industry. He was the founding Chairman of the Budgens National Retailer Council and is the current Chairman of the Association of Convenience Stores, as well as sitting on the ACS Independents Board.
Caroline Bosworth – Community Liaison and HR Manager
Caroline joined the company in June 2010 as the Community Liaison Manager. Having qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, she worked in industry in Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire with a focus on management development and psychometrics. More recently, Caroline has been involved with the local community as a Magistrate, Chair of the Citizen's Advice Bureau and Trustee of a youth charity. Caroline works part time for the company and splits her time between HR matters and Community Liaison.
Kate Bavester - Office and Compliance Manager
Kate is both the Office and compliance manager, which , in essence means that she has responsibility within the company for health and safety isues. Whilst site managers have day to day responsibility for H and S, Kate will answer any queries and ensure that we comply with regulations for food retail. In her role as office manager, Kate also sets up the promotions and daily pricing updates and will answer IT queries too. Outside work, Kate is involved with the community in which she lives and is particularly involved in the organisation of the Soham carnival.
Rachel Earl - Payroll and Finance Manager
Rachel joined the company in 2002 when the Ely site opened. Prior to this, Rachel worked for Barclays Bank Plc in a number of branches and the Human Resources team. Rachel is responsible for payment queries, the company payroll and issuing employment contracts. She is also responsible for the clocking in machines and company archiving. Rachel works part time from home and Head Office.
Karl Mendham - Store Manager, Budgens, Dersingham
Karl worked for Budgens for 15 years before joining James Graven & Sons Ltd when they took over the Budgens store in Dersingham, in May 2007. Karl gained experience in all aspects of the business, starting as a baker on weekday mornings whilst still at school, and also worked part time for Blockbuster Entertainment. He was instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition of the store to new ownership in May 2007, and looks forward to developing close links with the community of Dersingham in the future.
Ken Lobley - Store Manager, Budgens, Soham
Ken has worked for James Graven's for the past 4 years. He has 35 years retail experience having worked for some well know brands such as MacDonalds and more recently Asda. Ken has a good understanding of local communities having owned and managed the local Post Office in Hall Street, Soham for some 15 years. He is now responsible for the day to day running of the Clay Street store in Soham.