Former wine auctioneer and retail executive Andrew Caillard MW has joined the leadership team at WithWine as Associate Director.

Australian winery software provider WithWine toasted its second consecutive oversubscribed seven-figure capital raise in June. Established in 2014, it helps wineries looking to increase the size of their direct-to-customer business. The platform promotes premiumisation, long-term customer relationships, sales optimisation, and faster cash flow. It assists more than 90 wineries across Australia and New Zealand, including Henschke, Leeuwin Estate and Peterson’s.

Caillard is a wine marketing graduate of Roseworthy Agricultural College, South Australia (1984) and passed the Master of Wine examination (winning the prestigious Madame Bollinger Medal for excellence in wine tasting) in 1993. In 1989 he founded Langton’s Sydney and played a key role in establishing Langton’s as Australia’s leading wine auction house.

WithWine CEO and founder Richard Owens said: “Andrew Caillard has been influential in shaping Australia’s fine wine agenda over the last 40 years. His broad experience and advice will be hugely invaluable for our direct-to-consumer model. It is wonderful that we can tap into his extensive knowledge and experience.”

Caillard said: “The history of Australian wine is punctuated by market shocks and the reliance on a few gatekeepers. WithWine is an exceptional business model because it empowers wine producers to control their future. I have joined the WithWine team because it has a great culture, a sense of purpose and believes in the cause of Australian Wine. Those are ingredients for an exciting journey!”

WithWine’s General Manager Ben Copeman-Hill added: “Our DTC platform has been built by wine people for wine people. Our mission is all about getting customers to buy directly from wineries and making that experience memorable. Over the last year, we have assembled a great team to drive the DTC business forward. As associate director Andrew Caillard MW will work as an advisor and assist us in reaching our goals.”