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Direct Wines gets new group CEO
David Thatcher is to take over from Simon McMurtrie as group chief executive of mail order business Direct Wines on 19 January.
David Thatcher joined the Direct Wines group in April 2014 as UK managing director
McMurtrie, who is a former publishing director at Mitchell Beazley, has headed the family-owned company since 2008, during which time he was named Drinks Business Man of the Year, said that he is stepping down later this month to take on the chairmanship of a number of different businesses.
“Over the last eight years, we have transformed Direct Wines from a UK business to an international one,” commented McMurtrie, adding that, “Today more than a third of our revenues come from international markets.”
Simon McMurtrie was db Man of the Year in 2011
Continuing he said, “Since taking my decision to work as Chairman for different businesses as part of a portfolio career, I have been working with the Laithwaite family and the rest of the Board to ensure a smooth transition to a strong new CEO.”
Thatcher joined the Direct Wines group in April 2014 as UK managing director and has more than 30 years of commercial experience in media and retail, including working at a senior levels at Sky, Virgin Media, and as CEO of TalkTalk and MD of Top Up TV.
Tony Laithwaite, founder and president of Direct Wines Group said: “Since joining us as UK managing director in April 2014, David has made an immediate and very positive impact on the business, and he has quickly convinced us that he is capable of stepping up to the group CEO role.
Continuing he said, “I’d like to thank Simon for his outstanding contribution to the business. He has led Direct Wines extremely successfully for a sustained period. We are very grateful for that, and for his assistance in achieving a smooth leadership transition, including agreeing to continue to support us by bringing a number of strategic initiatives to a successful conclusion during the first half of 2015.”
Direct Wines is wholly owned by the Laithwaite family and the group has three core markets, the UK, US and Australia, alongside franchise and distribution agreements in continental Europe, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and India.
Direct Wines is also a wine producer, with vineyards in Bordeaux and England together with wineries in France and South Australia.