CarExpert has announced the appointment of Nikki Warburton as non-executive Board director, effective immediately.
Welcoming Warburton to the Board, CarExpert CEO Damon Rielly noted the extensive automotive experience, insights and knowledge she will bring to the business.
“I’m really excited and proud to welcome Nikki to the CarExpert Board. Nikki’s expertise in the automotive industry and insights into what makes OEM’s, New Car Dealerships and New Car buyers tick will provide us an even greater understanding in building market leading products.
“Nikki’s active involvement in the Australian business community will help build CarExpert’s reputation as Australia’s leading online new car marketplac,” added Rielly.
In taking up her position as a director, Warburton said: “I look forward to working with the highly passionate CarExpert team to shape the growth agenda and continue to build the reputation as Australia’s most trusted and respected car expert”
Warburton has over 25 years’ experience in senior executive and Board roles with a track record of delivering tangible business results across a range of industries from automotive and advertising, through to subscription TV.
Warburton was most recently CCMO at Audi and is currently a non-executive Board director of the GWS Giants (AFL), a non-executive Board director at M A Financial Group (ASX : MAF), strategic advisor at Automotive Superstore, and a mentor with the Marketing Academy.
Warburton was at Audi for 3 years as the chief customer and marketing officer responsible for marketing, product, digital, corporate communications and the Customer Operations Centre. Prior to this she was at Austar responsible for product, sales and marketing for 11 years.
She started her career at ASTRE Automotive, the Australian distributor for Audi, Hyundai and Chrysler Jeep, where she took Hyundai to the number one car importer in Australia.
In addition to taking up a directorship role, Warburton has also made a personal investment in the CarExpert business, which recently closed its funding round that also included Perth Billionaire Laurence Escalante. The business is headed to an IPO in 2024.
CarExpert founder Alborz Fallah said “Our revenue has more than quadrupled in the last 12 months and as we look to continue our growth trajectory, we are seeking the very best people to help make that happen and having someone of Nikki’s calibre on the board is fantastic news for all of us at CarExpert”
Speaking about the success of the business, Fallah told Mediaweek that “As of November and December figures, our revenue is now well and truly on a $10m annual run rate and rapidly growing.”
CarExpert was founded in 2020 by the same team that created CarAdvice, which sold to Nine Entertainment Company in 2018 for over $60m. Rielly was previously CEO of iCar Asia, an ASX listed entity that was sold to Malaysian based CarSome for over $200m earlier in 2022.