Seedlab Australia has restructured its executive team, appointing Kenna MacTavish as the new MD.
MacTavish succeeds co-founder Dr Hazel MacTavish-West, who is stepping down from the CEO position to transition into the roles of finance director and mentor within the organisation.
The appointment follows a multi-year period where the Woolworths-supported program assisted more than 600 business founders across ANZ.
Before this appointment, MacTavish advanced through the company’s internal ranks, moving from marketing and program delivery into the position of COO.
Her future corporate strategy targets developing the incubator’s community-building initiatives, such as the Seedlab Shelf Life in-person event series, as well as increasing Seedlab’s visibility
“Seedlab needs to become more visible. Not in a marketing sense; our founders know we exist, and so do the retailers we work with,” said Kenna MacTavish.
“But there are still thousands of FMCG founders across Australia and New Zealand who are figuring it out alone, making avoidable mistakes and spending money they don’t have on support that isn’t right for them. They don’t know Seedlab exists, and that has to change.”
MacTavish-West established the original pilot initiative, Seedlab Tasmania, in 2020 before launching the national iteration in 2021 to train startups in the food, beverage, personal care, home care, and pet care sectors.
Since the national launch, participating founders have generated more than $38 million in retail sales through their supply agreements with Woolworths, which has funded and supported the incubator for seven years.
Under the new leadership structure, Seedlab Australia will maintain its core tiered training formats, which encompass the Bootcamp, Cultivate, and Propagate accelerator programs.
