Online furniture retailer, Wayfair, has appointed Mike Henriques to VP of international and its Australian division, as the US-based pureplay sets its sights on rapid expansion in Australia.

Prior to his promotion, Henriques served as the MD for Wayfair Australia, where he laid the foundation in the establishment of Wayfair Australia, and spearheaded the growth of  the company within the oceanic region.

In his new role, Henriques will continue to oversee the day to day operations of Wayfair Australia, while driving the brand’s strategic growth.

Niraj Shah, CEO and co-founder of Wayfair.com, said Henriques has been instrumental in establishing the home goods retailer in Australia.

“He has an extensive background in e-commerce, a deep understanding of our business and a strong customer-centric orientation. We have no doubt that Mike is the right leader to drive our continued growth in Australia as we stay focused on building an exceptional shopping experience in the home,” Shah said.

Before joining the Wayfair team, Henriques spent nine  years in the e-commerce travel industry, holding various leadership roles in the software and technology with companies including wotif.com, and lastminute.com.

Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Wayfair employs more than 1600 people in its eight global locations of Boston, New York, Ogden, Utah, Hebron, Kentucky, Galway, Ireland, London, Berlin, and Sydney.

The online retailer recently launched shipping of small parcels to New Zealand, and now offers select items from the United States catalogue.