Naked Wines plc
("Naked" or the "Group")
Board Appointment
Naked Wines is pleased to announce that James Crawford has been appointed Group CFO and Executive Director effective immediately. James has been serving as interim CFO, in addition to his role as Managing Director of Naked Wines UK, since July 2022. Prior to that, James served as Naked's Group Finance Director (March 2014 to July 2015), Group CFO (April 2015 to November 2020) and UK MD (December 2020 to December 2022). Naked is actively recruiting candidates to fill the UK MD role.
James brings a wealth of experience to Naked and the Board, including both finance experience and a deep understanding of Naked's business. James has been with Naked for almost 9 years, holding finance, managerial and strategic roles. Prior to that, he spent 14 years at Diageo, a multinational alcoholic beverage company, in various finance and business development roles.
David Stead, Chairman, commented:
"I am thrilled to welcome James back to the Board and cannot imagine a better-equipped CFO to lead Naked through its next phase. James' finance expertise and intricate knowledge of Naked's business will be invaluable as we continue to evolve and grow."
James (45) is a director of Naked Fine Wine Bonds PLC and www.NakedWines.com Limited and also serves as the Chairman of the Naked Wines Charitable Trust, a charitable organisation affiliated with but independent from Naked. He was previously a director of Lay & Wheeler Limited, Vinotheque Holdings Limited, Wizard Wine Limited, Merlin Wine Limited, Wharfside Wine PLC, Naked Wines PLC, Naked Wines Employee Share Ownership, Naked Wines Prepayments Trustee Company, Naked Wines International Limited, and Majestic Wine Warehouses Limited.
There are no other matters which are required to be disclosed in accordance with Rule 17 and paragraph (g) of Schedule Two of the AIM Rules for Companies.
For further information, please contact:
Naked Wines plc
Nick Devlin, Chief Executive Officer
James Crawford, Chief Financial Officer
Clara Melia / Chris McDonald, Investor Relations
Investec (NOMAD & Joint Broker)
David Flin / Carlton Nelson / Ben Farrow Tel: 0207 597 5970
Jefferies (Joint Broker)
Ed Matthews / David Genis / Gill O'Driscoll Tel: 0207 029 8000
Instinctif (FInancial PR)
Guy Scarborough / Damian Reece Tel: 07917 178 920 / 07931 598 593
About Naked Wines plc
Naked Wines connects everyday wine drinkers with the world's best independent winemakers.
Why? Because we think it's a better deal for everyone. Talented winemakers get the support, funding and freedom they need to make the best wine they've ever made. The wine drinkers who support them get much better wine at much better prices than traditional retail.
It's a unique business model. Naked Wines customers commit to a fixed prepayment each month which goes towards their next purchase. Naked in turn funds the production costs for winemakers, generating savings that are passed back to its customers. It creates a virtuous circle that benefits both wine drinker and winemaker.
Our mission is to change the way the whole wine industry works for the better. In the last year, we have served more than 960,000 Angel members in the US, UK and Australia, making us a leading player in the fast-growing direct-to-consumer wine market.
Our customers (who we call Angels) have direct access to 266 of the world's best independent winemakers making over 2,500 quality wines in 20 different countries. We collaborate with some of the world's best independent winemakers like Matt Parish (Beringer, Stags' Leap) and 8-time Winemaker of the Year Daryl Groom (Penfolds Grange).