SONOMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SommSelect.com, a leading wine importer and online wine retailer, today announced the appointment of Karen Roche to the position of Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Roche is charged with leading SommSelect.com through its next high-growth phase.
Roche is well regarded in the wine industry for her role as COO of The WineTasting Network (WineTasting.com; Ambrosia.com), one of the earliest online wine ecommerce and fulfillment operations developed for Napa and Sonoma wineries in the early 2000s. The majority of Roche’s career has focused on providing companies with strategic and tactical leadership required for rapid growth. In addition to The WineTasting Network (acquired by 1-800-FLOWERS), her experience includes roles as President of Streetwise Reports, and Partner at Sibson and Company Management Consulting.
“Coming to SommSelect.com and returning to the wine industry is a pure joy for me, and I’m delighted that the team here has such a wonderful camaraderie,” said Roche. “I’m looking forward to bringing my ideas and operations expertise to help scale this company to the next level, and deliver amazing wines to more customers.”
Since moving to Sonoma more than a decade ago, Roche has volunteered at several nonprofits and currently serves on the boards of Sonoma Valley Fund, Mentoring Alliance, and Kid’s Scoop News. She is founding member and Chair of the Finance Committee at Impact100, as well as Chairperson at Advanced Brain Monitoring in San Diego.
Roche earned her M.B.A. degree from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and a B.S. degree in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“We are very pleased to have Karen join us and lead the company forward,” said Larry Drivon, chairman of the board at SommSelect.com. “She has the perfect blend of business acumen, wine industry knowledge, and personal humility to inspire staff and achieve greatness.”
About SommSelect.com
SommSelect.com is a wine ecommerce company co-founded by Master Sommelier Ian Cauble, who is star of the SOMM movie series, available on Netflix. The company gives customers access to sommelier-selected wines from around the world, to enjoy immediately or to thoughtfully expand their wine cellar collections. SommSelect offers a free subscription to daily e-mails that bring a sommelier’s wine knowledge and experience to everyone, at every budget, every day.
