Honest Grapes appoints Amazon director

Online wine merchant and club, Honest Grapes, has appointed a former Amazon director as its new CEO.

Ian Blackman has years of experience in the retail environment having previously worked for M&S, Lacoste, Ted Baker and, latterly, spent four years with Amazon as director of Footwear and Accessories.

Founders Tom Harrow and Nathan Hill explained that having “nurtured the business through its first two years”, the time had come to appoint a CEO with “suitable” digital and retail experience.

Hill said: “It’s all about the team. When Tom and I got together to develop Honest Grapes, we knew we needed the most thrilling wines, the most memorable events and a team full of passion and dedication to our members. We’ve grown substantially and had a great close to 2016, with a much more sizeable club and lots of corporate events and gifting.

“Having a heavy-hitting CEO join us at this stage is the next step in growing up as a business and with our blend of wine meets tech meets ecommerce I’m full of enthusiasm for 2017.”

Blackman added: “I am super excited to be involved with such an innovative company that brings fun, glamour and thrilling wines to its customers. Using technology to enhance the experience and putting customers at the heart of every decision made it a no-brainer. Cultivating the amazing ‘Honest Bunch’ and taking the company to the next vintage is an intoxicating and exciting challenge”