Akron, Ohio – Signet is shaking up its executive team as it enters the next phase of its “Inspiring Brilliance” growth strategy, the jewellery giant announced in an internal letter to key partners earlier this week.
Jamie Singleton, formerly president of Zales, Kay and Peoples, has been appointed group president and chief consumer officer.She will be tasked with sharpening Signet’s focus on the shopping experience and innovative products.
Singleton will relinquish her title of Chief Marketing Officer and pass the baton to Tony Rogers.There are also some changes to Singleton’s executive team.Bill Brace, previously president of Jared, has been promoted to president of Kay Jewelers. During his four-year tenure, Jared grew by 22 per cent in the second quarter of fiscal 2023.Kecia Caffie, formerly president of Banter by Piercing Pagoda, has been promoted to president of Zales. She will also develop designer brand partnerships, starting with Spanish brand PDPAOLA.
During her five years at Banter, which included a rebrand, sales grew by 60 per cent.Amy Robinson will take on the role of President of Banter by Piercing Pagoda. The retail executive has experience in digital merchandising and marketing, having previously worked at May Merchandising, Origami Owl and Michaels Stores.
Stacee Johnson Williams, formerly senior vice president of Kay, Zales and Peoples, has been promoted to general manager of Peoples and senior vice president of merchandise planning and inventory for Kay. She will continue her role in inventory management and innovation of Signet’s MPI platform, reporting to Brace.
During her time in her previous role, inventory productivity reached record levels, Signet said.”We have been on a cultural and business transformation journey over the past few years to make Signet the growth and innovation leader in the jewellery industry,” said CEO Gina Drosos.
“We believe the changes we’re announcing today will help us continue our evolution as we innovate for our customers, accelerate our growth, strengthen our culture and extend our leadership in the jewellery industry while continuing to invest in and develop our people. Our new organisation will enable us to execute our strategies and leverage our strengths better than ever before.
The jewellery giant will continue to expand its services segment, which includes warranty and repair services, appraisals, jewellery insurance and Rocksbox, the jewellery subscription business acquired by Signet last spring.As part of the services push, Chief Financial Officer Joan Hilson will take on the expanded role of Chief Financial, Strategy and Services Officer.Lisa Walker will lead the segment as President of Jewellery Services.Allison Vigil will assume the role of president of Rocksbox as Signet looks to expand its rental services.
In addition to services, Signet is looking to strengthen its digital capabilities.Oded Edelman will expand his role to Chief Digital Innovation Officer and President of Pure Play Retail, which includes R2Net and accessible luxury brands James Allen and newly acquired Blue Nile.
Signet acquired R2Net, the former owner of JamesAllen.com, in 2017.
“By bringing together these strong, digitally native organisations, Signet will continue to drive innovation in the online shopping experience for customers,” the company said.Bill Luth will expand his role as executive vice president of global store operations to include the Banter store and ops administration teams.
Al Walizadeh, vice president of divisional operations, and Barry Gresky, vice president of operations administration and piercing services at Banter, will now report to Luth.The moves and promotions are effective immediately.
