Leibish & Co. Names Sandy Ray Head of North American Sales

Sandy Ray

Leibish & Co. has named Sandy Ray as its new Executive VP of North American Sales. He will oversee the expansion of the wholesale division of the online fancy color diamond and jewelry company in North America.

Ray, a second generation diamantaire, has more than 35 years of experience serving the trade predominantly in the United States. He is an early pioneer of the online diamond industry in 1999, and the founder of one the first B2B diamond global sales platforms. His experience also includes stints as director of sales and marketing for Argyle Pink Diamonds and Forevermark.

“Sandy comes along with a strong background in branding, eCommerce, and network development,” said Leibish Polnauer, founder of Leibish & Co. “His multifaceted background is a testament to his expertise and proves that he will be a significant contribution to our global team.” 

Leibish & Co. was founded in 1979 and is based in Ramat Gan, Israel, with customers around the globe. The company offers GIA-certified color diamonds as well as collections of multi-colored diamond jewelry designed in-house. 

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Saint Laurent Gets a New CEO

©Hedi Slimane

Francesca Bellettini has been named the new CEO of Yves Saint Laurent. She will take over the top spot at the fashion house on September 1, replacing Paul Deneve, who has taken a position in the high tech industry.

Bellettini is currently an executive director at Bottega Veneta. Both Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent are owned by Kering, formerly known as PPR, which announced the appointment Tuesday. The French holding company specializes in owning brands in the luxury, sports and lifestyle segments of the apparel and accessories market. Yves Saint Laurent designs apparel and accessories that range from read-to-wear clothing to jewelry. While the brand is best-known to the public as Yves Saint Laurent, Kering had officially changed the brand name in 2012 to Saint Laurent.

“Her experience within the group and in the industry, her expertise and her determination persuaded me of her ability to implement Saint Laurent day-to-day strategy,” said François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of Kering.

Bellettini, an Italian national, joined Bottega Veneta in November 2008 as worldwide merchandising director. She was promoted to worldwide merchandising-communications director in November 2010 and has been responsible for implementing strategic direction for the company, while overseeing all aspects of merchandising, visual display and communication.

She previously was the strategic planning director and associate worldwide merchandising director of Gucci. Prior to Gucci, she was operations manager of Helmut Lang, having previously worked at the Prada Group in 2002 as part of the planning & new business development division. After graduating from Bocconi University in Milan, Bellettini started her career in London as an investment banker, working at Goldman Sachs International, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, and Compass Partners International.

In addition to the appointment of Bellettini, Yves Saint Laurent creative director, Hedi Slimane, will have added responsibilities that include supervising all strategic projects in a plan to transform and reposition the brand.

“Hedi Slimane has a clear creative vision for Saint Laurent,” Pinault said. “He has successfully rejuvenated and repositioned the brand in line with Yves Saint Laurent’s original message in 1966. This reform project was essential to ensure that Saint Laurent is in step with the times, and to secure its success. Today, the brand is one of the world’s most prominent fashion houses and my ambition is that Saint Laurent is able to realize its considerable long term potential for growth.”

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Jewelers of America Names Dave Bonaparte for Top Spot

David Bonaparte

The national trade association for fine jewelry retailers in the U.S. has tapped a jewelry industry veteran and the former manager of a competing tradeshow for its top post.

Jewelers of America said Sunday that it has named David Bonaparte as its president and CEO. He will succeed Matthew A. Runci when he retires at year’s end, after leading the trade association for 17 years. Bonaparte will work with Runci starting October 1, officially taking the helm on January 1, 2013.

Bonaparte was senior vice president of JCK Brands for Reed Exhibitions, a promotion that was granted a year ago. He has spent at least 16 years managing the JCK Las Vegas show and all of its affiliate tradeshows (such as Luxury at JCK and Swiss Watch at JCK) that were added over the years. JCK Las Vegas is one of largest and most important jewelry tradeshows in the world. Other jewelry shows directly under his watch include JCK Toronto and Luxury Privé, held in New York and Panama City. He was also the global leader for the jewelry portfolio at Reed Exhibitions worldwide. His responsibilities in recent years also included leading jewelry trade publication, JCK magazine.

Bonaparte is also an advocate in connection with issues and events affecting the jewelry industry. He was instrumental in helping Reed Exhibitions develop The JCK Industry Fund, which provides $400,000 annually to individuals, groups and associations that develop programs to benefit and promote the industry.

JCK Las Vegas also happens to be the major competitor to Jewelers of America tradeshow held twice a year in New York.

“Through a lengthy and thorough process, the committee selected Dave based on his proven leadership skills, knowledge of the industry and his vision for the future of the organization,” said JA board chair Georgie Gleim of Gleim the Jeweler. “We believe he will be a passionate leader for Jewelers of America, providing guidance and inspiration for JA’s Board of Directors and staff, while serving as a strong advocate for the association and the interests of its members.”

Bonaparte has been a supporter of the American Gem Society, Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America, Jewelry Information Center, Jewelers Security Alliance, Jewelers Vigilance Committee and Women’s Jewelry Association. He has worked closely with JA and many state and regional jewelry associations as well as other retail organizations in a combined effort to develop programs designed to build membership.

JA said that Bonaparte will work to expand the association’s membership, strengthening the organization in terms of both influence and resources, while continuing its leadership role in public and industry affairs as an advocate for its members and the jewelry industry at large.

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David Yurman Looks to Urban Outfitters for New CEO

Glen Senk

Glen T. Senk has been named CEO of the David Yurman luxury jewelry and timepiece company, effective, February 27. Senk most recently served as the CEO of Urban Outfitters, Inc. His appointment includes an ownership stake in the privately owned and operated company.

"We have known and respected Glen for more than a decade—as much for his creative vision and inspired leadership as for his exceptional management and operational ability. His arrival will allow us to truly focus on what we love doing – designing – while we collectively build an even greater global brand and the company we've always wanted," said David and Sybil Yurman, founders of David Yurman.

Senk’s career with Urban Outfitters began in April 1994 when he joined Anthropologie as president of what was then a single-store prototype, growing the concept into a $1 billion-plus multi-channel, multi-national brand. Senk was named executive VP of Urban Outfitters in May 2002, elected to the company's board of directors in June 2004 and named CEO in May 2007. Prior to joining Urban Outfitters, Senk served as senior VP and general merchandise manager of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and CEO for the London-based Habitat International Merchandise and Marketing Group. Senk's retail career began at Bloomingdale's in 1981 where he ultimately became senior VP and managing director of Bloomingdale’s By Mail, Ltd.

Senk, 55, holds a BA degree from New York University and an MBA degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he was named alumnus of the year in 2010. In 2010, he was ranked within Fortune Magazine's Top 50 Businesspeople of the Year and named the FGI Corporate Leader of the Year. He serves on the boards of David Yurman, Tory Burch, and Melissa & Doug, and he serves as chairman of the Vetri Foundation.

Pandora Names New CEO

Silver jewelry company Pandora has appointed retail veteran Björn Gulden as its new CEO, effective March 1.

Gulden , 46, is currently managing director of the Deichmann Group and president and CEO of its wholly owned retail chains Rack Room Shoes and Off Broadway Shoes in the U.S. Prior to those positions, Gulden was senior VP of apparel and accessories at Adidas and was part of the management group that took Adidas public in 1995. The Swiss native and Norwegian citizen also played professional soccer in Norway and Germany before a serious injury ended his career.

Gulden replaces Mikkel Vendelin Olesen, who resigned suddenly in early August due to lower-than-expected growth, which the company blamed on commodity price increases and “inadequate” execution.

The Danish company with manufacturing facilities in Thailand is known for its widely popular charm jewelry. The company is also known in the jewelry and financial industries for its extraordinary sales growth and its $2.1 billion IPO, launched in October 2010.

However, in early August, the company released its second quarter financial report two weeks early with less than expected growth as well as declines in major markets. It also drastically downgraded its sales and profits targets for 2011 and reported a drastic decline in July revenues. The result was that its stock fell about 70 percent in a single day.

Marcello Bottoli, who was named interim CEO during the August turmoil, will continue in that position until Gulden arrives and will report Pandora´s 2011 annual results on Feb. 21, 2012.

Pandora also announced that as of March 2012, Marcello will become deputy chairman of its board of directors in order to take advantage of what has has learned as interim CEO. Current deputy chairman, Torben Ballegaard Sørensen, will continue as member of the board.

“Björn is an outstanding executive who has impressed me with his knowledge and hands-on experience from many years in the retail and wholesale business around the world,” said Allan Leighton, Pandora chairman.

Boucheron’s CEO to Step Down

Jean-Christophe Bedos

Jean-Christophe Bedos, president and CEO of Boucheron has announced his resignation, effective June 10. He led the Parisian luxury jewelry house for seven years. He will be replaced by LVMH executive, Pierre Bouissou, allowing for a smooth transition.

Boucheron is a subsidiary of PPR, the Paris-based retail conglomerate.

“We are glad to welcome Pierre to Boucheron and PPR,” said Alexis Babeau, deputy CEO of PPR Luxury activities. “With Pierre I am confident we have someone with the skills and experience necessary to build on the work done so far and accelerate the positive trends that have already been put in place. For the past seven years, Jean-Christophe Bedos has dedicated himself to returning Boucheron to a position of health and growth. Under his leadership, Boucheron was re-launched on the international stage as one of the world’s most prestigious jewelers. We thank Jean-Christophe for his significant contribution and wish him the very best as he now turns to new challenges. ”

Jean-Christophe Bedos added: "I am proud and delighted to have successfully achieved the objectives that had been set for Boucheron. After seven years, the time has come for me to pursue new challenges.”

Bedos was one of the first persons to appear on the Jewelry News Network. He spoke at the FT Business of Luxury Summit, discussing Boucheron’s leadership role in e-commerce and social media. Among luxury goods companies, Boucheron was a very early adapter to e-commerce, as it began selling its products on line in the late 1990s.

“The web to me … is like a street,” he told the luxury professionals at the conference. "You have the best. You have the worst. You have dirty streets. You have clean streets. You have affluent streets. You have down market streets. And when as much as a street could be, you can find everything. The question is not whether you should be on the street or not. The question is not whether you should be on the Web or not. The question is how you want to be there and how you want to be perceived there.”

Bouissou has extensive experience in brand management and development. He joins PPR from LVMH where he served most recently as managing director of Berluti, a bespoke shoemaker. Prior to Berluti, he served as business unit manager of the beauty and skincare products at Parfums Christian Dior.

Before joining LVMH, Bouissou held various marketing and development roles for Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and L’Oréal. He began his career as International Product Manager for Skincare at Unilever in Paris. A French national, Bouissou earned business degrees from Institut D’Administration des Entreprises (IAE) in Nice and ISA/ HEC (École des Hautes Études Commerciales) in Paris.

PPR owns and operates global brands in several markets distributed in more than 120 countries. In addition to Boucheron, the brands in its luxury group are Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Sergio Rossi, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.

Devon Pike Named CEO of De Beers Diamond Jewellers U.S.

With the news of the hiring of Philippe Mellier as De Beers CEO on Monday, another high-profile hiring by a division of the diamond giant went a bit under the radar.

De Beers Diamond Jewellers said Monday that Devon Pike has joined the company as chief executive officer of its U.S. business. Pike is a veteran merchandising, marketing and retail executive, who previously served as a senior vice president at Juicy Couture after spending six years at Polo Ralph Lauren.

De Beers Diamond Jewellers was established in 2001 as an independently managed and operated company by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s leading luxury products group, and De Beers SA, the world’s premier diamond mining and marketing company.

“She (Pike) is a highly respected retail industry executive, who understands how to develop and expand sought-after brands,” said Francois Delage, De Beers Diamond Jewellers CEO. “The US market is strategic for us and the recruitment of Devon is a sign of our commitment to further developing our activities in one of the world’s largest jewelry markets.”

Before joining De Beers, Pike was SVP of Digital at Juicy Couture, where she had been since May 2009. She previously held the position of SVP GMM for Juicy Couture’s North America and Travel Retail business.

Prior to Juicy Couture, she spent six years at Polo Ralph Lauren, where she held roles managing global business development, and as VP, General Merchandise manager of the Rugby Ralph Lauren brand. Pike joined Polo after holding a series of positions of increasing responsibility first at May Department Stores and subsequently Federated Department Stores. She is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School.

Tiffany Appoints Frederic Cumenal as Executive VP

Tiffany & Co. said Wednesday it has named Frederic Cumenal as executive vice president effective March 10. He will be responsible for the company's businesses in Asia, Japan, Europe and emerging markets, and will report to Michael J. Kowalski Tiffany chairman and CEO.

Cumenal, 51, joins Tiffany from the LVMH Group where most recently he was president and chief executive officer of Moët & Chandon, S.A. Cumenal will succeed James E. Quinn, whose retirement in early 2012 was previously announced.

"Frederic brings a wealth of luxury brand experience and a highly developed global perspective that will prove especially important as Tiffany's growth continues outside of the Americas," said Mr. Kowalski.

eBay Pumps Up Fashion Business by Hiring Andrea Linett as Creative Director

Andrea Linett

Internet retailer eBay has gone to the publishing industry for a high-profile name to lead its multibillion-dollar fashion business.

San Jose, Calif.-based company hired Andrea Linett as creative director of eBay Fashion. Linett will help drive the creative vision for the fashion marketplace. She will be responsible for advancing the image, voice and editorial style for the marketplace’s clothing, shoes and accessories category.

Linett, a 20-year veteran of fashion publishing is best known as the co-founder and former creative director of Lucky, the award-winning magazine about shopping and style. She also founded the personal style and shopping website, I want to be her!. Previously, she served as a fashion writer and editor at Harper’s Bazaar, and the fashion and beauty editor at Sassy magazine. Over the course of her career, she has worked as a stylist for commercials and music videos, and as a consultant for fashion brands including Il Bisonte, Foley & Corinna and Tenthousandthings.

Linett will steer the creative direction and design of eBay Fashion—including Fashion Vault, eBay’s destination for limited time sales—consult on ongoing site enhancements, and oversee the thematic, photography and casting for all editorial merchandising and original content at fashion.ebay.com, , the world’s largest online marketplace and a global mobile commerce leader said in a statement Thursday.

The eBay Fashion website trades in more than $5 billion in gross merchandise volume worldwide annually and has 10 million active fashion shoppers in the U.S. It is a leading online destination for clothing, shoes and accessories with more than 20 million average daily fashion listings. A pair of shoes is sold every seven seconds, a dress every 10 seconds and a pair of jeans every 24 seconds.

Last year, eBay introduced significant enhancements to the shopping experience with the launch of fashion.ebay.com, a dedicated home for fashion on the Marketplace—including new image similarity technology and browsing capabilities.

Signet Names Michael Barnes New CEO

The world’s largest specialty retail jeweler will soon have new leadership.

Signet Jewelers Ltd. said Wednesday it has appointed Michael Barnes as chief executive officer beginning Jan. 30, 2011. Barnes, formally with Fossil Inc., will join Signet on December 1 as chief executive officer designate and will be based in Akron, Ohio. He succeeds Terry Burman who will retire Jan. 29, 2011.

Barnes had been president, chief operating officer and a director of Fossil. He has been with the global design, marketing and distribution company for 25 years, serving in several key management positions. He started with the Richardson, Texas-based company in its early days and was one of its initial employees. He was part of the management team that took Fossil public in 1993. Barnes announced his resignation from Fossil Wednesday.

“We are delighted to have recruited such a strong candidate as Mike to be Signet’s CEO,” said Sir Malcolm Williamson, Signet chairman. “Mike is a seasoned and accomplished manager who with his strategic and attentive outlook to operational details brings valuable experience to Signet. He will be an able successor to Terry Burman who has led Signet as CEO for the last ten years and who leaves a strong legacy.”

Signet, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, operates 1,893 stores, including1,345 stores in the U.S., where it trades as Kay Jewelers, Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry, and under a number of regional names. Signet also operates 548 stores in the U.K. division, where it trades as H.Samuel, Ernest Jones and Leslie Davis.