Naked Wines has appointed Shawn Tabak as its new chief financial officer, marking a key step in the company’s transformation into a US-led global business. Tabak will be based in Napa, California, and is set to officially take over the role from 7 December 2020. He will also join the company’s board when outgoing CFO James Crawford transitions to become managing director of the UK business on 31 December.
The appointment underscores Naked Wines’ growing emphasis on the US market, which has become the company’s largest territory. With rapid online growth and surging demand for its subscription wine model, the business is building out its leadership team to support its international expansion.
Finance and tech veteran joins Naked Wines
Tabak brings significant financial and strategic experience from across the tech and consumer sectors. Most recently, he served as vice president of finance at Upwork Inc., a platform connecting businesses with freelancers and agencies. Prior to that, he spent four years at Shutterfly as VP of investor relations and treasury, and also held the CFO role at Clean Power Finance, a solar finance company backed by venture capital.
Earlier in his career, Tabak spent a decade at KPMG, working in both the US and Australia, giving him a strong foundation in financial auditing and global business operations.
Driving the next phase of growth
Group CEO Nick Devlin welcomed Tabak’s appointment, citing his expertise in customer-focused growth strategies and deep understanding of the US market as key assets. “Shawn’s deep understanding of driving growth through a focus on customer economics and cohorts makes him ideally suited to the role at Naked,” Devlin said. “Recruiting this role in the USA, our largest market, is another key step in our transition from British startup to a US-led global pureplay.”
He also praised outgoing CFO James Crawford for his role in guiding Naked through its startup years and supporting its growth journey. Crawford will now lead the UK arm of the business as managing director.
Disrupting the wine industry with online innovation
Tabak expressed his excitement at joining a company that’s “disrupting the wine industry for the benefit of consumers and independent winemakers.” He added, “This is an exciting time as the company’s differentiated business delivers superior value to wine consumers in a large and growing online wine market, and I look forward to working with this strong team to create value for customers, employees, and shareholders.”
The appointment follows a period of significant momentum for Naked Wines. In April, the company named Max Miller as president of its US business and announced plans to create over 80 new roles across customer service, finance, data science, and growth marketing to support rising demand.
Record sales and digital growth
Naked Wines has seen extraordinary growth in 2020, with sales rising 76% earlier in the year. The surge in demand for home-delivered wine led to record-breaking online activity. The company’s annual Christmas Collection launch recently saw over 40,000 cases sold in just 24 hours, briefly crashing the website due to a threefold surge in traffic.
As Naked Wines continues to expand its global footprint, the appointment of Shawn Tabak as CFO solidifies its commitment to leading that charge from its fastest-growing market. With a strong US-based leadership team and a customer-centric digital model, the company is positioning itself as a major force in the future of online wine retail.