Former Woolworths Group executive Daniel Walter takes on Director of Ventures and AI role at Pet Circle
Daniel Walter has started a new position as Director of Ventures & AI at Pet Circle, which lays claim to being Australia’s largest online pet retailer. In a LinkedIn post, Walter, whose CV includes stints at Woolworths Group and Best Mate Meals (which he founded), said: “Over the last year, I’ve become slightly obsessed with AI. But rather than just read, talk and theorise about what it might mean for business, I wanted to build with it.”
He added: “So I started a fresh dog food subscription business. The goal was partly the business itself, and partly the experiment: how far could you take an AI native company?
Could you build not just software with AI, but an entire operating model around it - increasingly using agents to do real work across product, marketing, operations, customer service and everything in between?”
“What started as an experiment became something very real, very quickly. A few months later, those conversations led me to Pet Circle, bringing what I’d built into the business and giving me the opportunity to take the idea much further from the inside. At Pet Circle, I’ll be looking after a portfolio of new ventures, including fresh dog food, pet pharmacy, pet insurance, and whatever comes next.”
Walter concluded: “And there is a second part of the role that I’m perhaps even more excited about: helping Pet Circle explore what this AI revolution means for the broader business - for how we work, what we build, how we serve customers and, ultimately, how we help people care for their pets. It’s a fascinating place to do it. Pet Circle started in a garage in 2011 and has grown into Australia’s leading online pet retailer. It now operates at real scale, but from what I’ve seen so far, it still has the ambition, curiosity and speed of a challenger. And, importantly, some seriously impressive people.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
AI will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
