New leadership to “unlock new growth opportunities”.

 

The private equity owners of Winc Australia and OfficeMax New Zealand are intent on “unlocking new growth opportunities” with the appointment of Peter Kelly (pictured) as the company’s new CEO, effective today.

 

Kelly was previously CEO of Wesfarmers-owned industrial products supplier Blackwoods, having previously held senior positions with SPC Ardmona and Coca-Cola Amatil. He succeeds interim CEO Adelle Howse, who stepped in following the departure of Darren Fullerton last year.

 

Renee Koontz, principal at US-based Platinum Equity said: “Under the last several months we have been aggressively revamping our operations model to better serve customers and drive growth in key segments. In Australia, for instance, we have transformed our customer focus by restructuring around five major industry types. This enables us to deliver deep industry expertise and understanding to our customers in the government, education, care, industrial and professional services sectors. 

 

“Peter brings the right passion to continue that transformation journey with more than 30 years of demonstrating strategic leadership to quickly and successfully drive business growth. He has led a number of high-profile businesses in both Australia and abroad, including SPC Ardmona and Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and South Korea. We’re delighted Peter is bringing his extensive experience onboard. 

 

“There’s a tremendous growth opportunity for both OfficeMax New Zealand and Winc,” Koontz said. 

 

Kelly added:  “I’m really looking forward to optimising and building on the existing foundations to unlock new growth opportunities for the business. I am thrilled to join the Winc team and look forward to working with our employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to build on our strengths and drive the company to even greater levels of success.” 

 

Winc/OfficeMax at a glance

Previously known as Staples and Corporate Express, Winc Australia also includes the newly-integrated OfficeMax Australia business, which was acquired by Platinum Equity in February 2018.