Stor.ai Names Two New Top Executives

Digital commerce platform Stor.ai is shuffling its leadership ranks, announcing that Charlie Ward Wright IV has joined the company as president and that Mendel Gniwisch, previously an EVP, has been promoted to CEO. 

Two weeks ago, previous Stor.ai CEO Orlee Tal, who had helmed the company since July 2019 and worked with the company since its early days, announced on LinkedIn that she was stepping away due to family circumstances. 

See also: Q&A: Stor.ai CEO Orlee Tal's Wake-Up Call for Retailers

In a news release about Wright's and Gniwisch's new appointments, Stor.ai said the two "bring a wealth of expertise and experience in the retail and e-commerce sectors and will underpin Stor.ai's rapid growth strategy."

Stor.ai was founded in 2014 and was known as Self Point until a December 2020 rebrand. The company offers a software suite targeted at food retailers and wholesalers that is designed to support businesses' digital transformation and, specifically, their move to mobile-first digital operations. In September, Stor.ai launched a new picking app developed to boost grocery pickers' efficiency through more-accurate data about item availability. 

Gniwisch joined Stor.ai in 2017 and moves up from his previous role as EVP of business development. The company said his diverse experience and entrepreneurial expertise "shapes his approach to building a durable, successful company offering retailers and customers a personalized digital shopping experience." 

Wright most recently led account management at enterprise AI platform Hypersonix, his LinkedIn profile states. He also previously spent three years at London-based consumer data specialist Dunnhumby. In his new role at Stor.ai, Wright will apply his experience working to develop and scale optimization tools for grocers to "further strengthen the company's footprint, strategy and operations in North America and globally," Stor.ai said in a news release. 

Wright, saying he was glad to be joining the company at a pivotal point in its journey, added: "The grocery industry's future is set to be defined by a fusion of in-store and online shopping, and it is critical to leverage technology to help grocers retain brand loyalty while meeting evolving customer expectations."