SANTA ROSA, Calif., Oct. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vintage Wine Estates, Inc. (Nasdaq: VWE and VWEWW), a leading beverage alcohol company, today announced that Jessica Kogan has been appointed to Chief Growth & Experience Officer. As part of her newly expanded responsibilities, Ms. Kogan will lead digital transformation initiatives focused on disruptive ways to deepen customer affinity and enable meaningful efficiencies in content publishing. Ms. Kogan will also serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team of Vintage Wine Estates, providing continued insight and direction specific to omnichannel opportunities.

Ms. Kogan joined Vintage Wine Estates in 2017 with the acquisition of Cameron Hughes Wine, a digital native business that she co-founded. In 2019, she was promoted to Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer with the specific mandate to grow its direct-to-consumer (DTC) business segment. Under her leadership, DTC more than tripled growing from $30 million in revenue to just over $90 million driven by a customer-first strategy brought to life both in content and distribution. Leveraging headless digital technologies focused on unifying the customer omnichannel experience, Ms. Kogan created demand for VWE brands by reaching a much larger, truly relevant customer audience.

“Jessica has been instrumental in establishing Vintage as the direct-to-consumer leader in our industry and the driving force behind our growth in eGrocery,” said Pat Roney, CEO and Founder of Vintage Wine Estates. “Digital innovation is a pillar of our overall growth strategy; Jess’s leadership and experience will be a driving force behind our efforts to make additional gains across the beverage alcohol category.”

Prior to Vintage, Ms. Kogan launched award-winning digital native brands CHWine.com, Schwab.com, Tolerance.org of the Southern Poverty Law Center and created enduring CPG brand campaigns like Chevron’s “Human Energy,” Donna Karan “Madam President” and Hewlett Packard “The Science of Printing.” Ms. Kogan is recognized as a leader within the industry, regularly being included on prestigious lists including the 2021 Wine Business Industry Leaders, winning Webby awards for her work with Schwab.com and Tolerance.org, a nomination by Wine Enthusiast for Innovator of the Year, and speaking engagements at the 2022 Wine Spirits Daily eCommerce and Digital Summit and the upcoming 2023 Future Drinks Expo.

“I could not be more excited to amplify growth for our amazing brands in truly remarkable, digitally-enabled ways in this new role,” said Ms. Kogan. “From product innovation to advances in distribution, Vintage has a restless desire to excite consumers at every turn — which I am confident will spark positive change.”

About Vintage Wine Estates:

Vintage Wine Estates (Nasdaq: VWE and VWEWW) is a family of wineries and wines whose singular focus is producing the finest quality wines and incredible customer experiences with wineries throughout Napa, Sonoma, California’s Central Coast, Oregon, and Washington State. Since its founding 20 years ago, the Company has grown to be the 14th largest wine producer in the U.S., selling more than two million nine-liter equivalent cases annually. To consistently drive growth, the Company curates, creates, stewards, and markets its many brands and services to customers and end consumers via a balanced omni-channel strategy encompassing direct-to-consumer, wholesale and exclusive brand arrangements with national retailers. While VWE is diverse across price points and varietals with over 60 brands ranging from $10 to $150 USD at retail, its primary focus is on the fastest growing luxury segment of the wine industry with the majority of brands selling at over $15 per bottle. The Company regularly posts updates and additional information at https://www.vintagewineestates.com/.

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