Dean Taylor has stepped down as CEO and director from the company he founded – DW8 Limited – which operates the Kaddy technology platform embraced by many wineries.
His replacement is Steve Voorma, whose most recent role was as CEO of the Active Display Group owned by WPP AUNZ, where he led a profit improvement strategy and ultimately sale to an ASX listed company.
Between 2010 and 2018 Steve led three separate divisions of Sony in Europe and Australia, developing expertise in logistics, service delivery and operational transformation across varying disciplines and geographies.
Dean Taylor says, “In February 2019 I joined DW8 Limited (Digital Wine Ventures) as CEO and set out to launch and build Australia’s largest wholesale beverage marketplace supported by an end-to-end logistics solution.
“Three and a half years later I am proud to say that together with the help of a dedicated team of professionals, we have achieved the first phase of this vision.
“On this journey there have been some amazing highs and also some gut-wrenching lows, however at the end of the day what is important is that we have created a unique and innovative platform that the liquor industry needs and wants, which continues to grow rapidly as evidenced by our FY2022 key metrics.
“From my perspective, the underlying performance of our revolutionary platform has never been better.
“As announced in our most recent investor presentation, the company is on track for a record revenue and GMV quarter.
“The savings and synergies that we have achieved from Project One are flowing through, helping to reduce our losses and cash burn.
“Based on this I feel that it is a fitting time for me to hand the batten onto someone new to lead this amazing company through the next stage of its journey.
“Performance aside, at a personal level the last 12 months have been incredibly taxing on my health and family life.
“While no stranger to hard work, I feel that the team of 180 plus staff and its shareholders would be better served by someone with fresh energy and ideas who is experienced at managing integrated technology and logistics businesses of much larger scale.
“While I am stepping down from my role as CEO and as a director, I remain as passionate as ever about the potential of Kaddy to become a global brand that is synonymous with wholesale beverages and will continue to support the company as a shareholder.
“In the short term I am looking forward to having a well deserved break and spending quality time with my family and friends.”
The DW8 board thanked Dean “for his immense contribution”.
Steve Voorma’s salary is $425,000 a year including superannuation.
The Kaddy platform provides beverage suppliers an end-to-end supply chain solution that allows them to connect with buyers, simplify operations, streamline payments and fulfill both trade and consumer orders.
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