Martin Brown is stepping down as Wine-Searcher’s CEO

Martin Brown, the founder of online drinks database Wine-Searcher, is stepping down from his role at the firm claiming he “never wanted to be CEO in the first place.”

Martin Brown, Wine-Searcher’s outgoing CEO (Photo: Wine-Searcher).

Brown, a former e-commerce executive at Berry Bros & Rudd, will be succeeded by Julian Perry, the creator of UK-based tech company Limitless.

Wine-Searcher, launched by Brown in 1999, has earned a reputation in the industry as the “Google of wine”. Today, its database now lists some 8.6 million products from nearly 100,000 retail outlets, and is used by more than 5 million people worldwide.

“I never really wanted to be CEO in the first place,” said Brown.

“I come from an IT background, the functional end of the business, and have never enjoyed being out front.”

Wine-Searcher uses data from critics to make wine recommendations, which users can find by using the company’s chatbot which was rolled out in October 2017.

Brown founded the company in 1999. Since then, it has grown to recruit 65 people at its Auckland offices, alongside a team of specialists working remotely around the world.

“What amazes me is how slowly it all took shape,” said Brown, who helped set up Berry Bros’ online retail operation in London and in the late 1990s saw a gap in the market for a price comparison search engine.

“You read about booming IT companies, but it took seven years before I could pay myself a salary.”

“When we started out, the sort of search we did was simple compared to what we show now about wine, spirits and beer. Tasting notes, encyclopaedic content, market demand and supply data as well as where to find the wine you want to drink.”

The modern iteration of the search engine combines the world of drinks with data, combining natural language, pattern recognition, and clustering algorithms with reviews from Wine-Searchers team drinks experts.

Incoming CEO Perry says that the emphasis on using the advances in technology and constant improvement will continue under his watch.

“It’s an honour – and great responsibility – to take over from Martin, having worked with him and admired his focus and ingenuity from the start,” he said.

“With our team, we will grow and continue to redefine and lead the digital landscape for the wine industry.”