Co-Founder & CEO
Ben Barnes
Ben brings close to a decade of retail and operations leadership to Vendora, built entirely inside one of Australia's most complex retail environments: Woolworths Group.
He joined as a Group Manager overseeing clusters of 10–12 stores across SA and WA, before moving into one of the business's most forward-facing roles: State eCom Operations Manager, leading Woolworths eCommerce operations across SA, NT and WA at a time when online grocery was fundamentally reshaping how Australians shop. From there he stepped into Operations Manager for WA leading 54 stores, then Assistant State Manager, then Acting State Director, leading a 193-supermarket network spanning three states.
That range matters. Ben hasn't just run large teams; he's led physical retail, digital commerce, and multi-state operations at scale, from the shop floor up.
Prior to Woolworths, his career spans two of the UK's most recognised retail brands, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, giving him a rare cross-market perspective on what makes retail work at scale: the right products, in the right place, for the right customer.
Outside of Vendora, Ben leads Barnes Estates, a private investment and advisory platform focused on consumer, retail and property opportunities across Australia and high-growth international markets.
Vendora was built on a simple observation. The best venues in the world make everything feel effortless, and the gap between a great guest experience and a frustrated one is often something small. A flat phone battery. No sunscreen. Forgotten earphones. Ben founded Vendora to close that gap, and to give Bali's finest venues a revenue stream that works as hard as they do.
