Harlan Kent, the former CEO of Yankee Candle as well as now-defunct retailer C. Wonder, has been named president of Alex and Ani.
Founder Carolyn Rafaelian remains CEO. Following the resignation of CEO Giovanni Feroce, Rafaelian took over while the company searched for a new chief executive. In November, she announced she was keeping the title, calling it her “dream job.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Jayne Conway is now serving as both the company’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer; she was originally hired as just CFO. She also held both those roles at jewelry buyer CIRCA.
According to an Alex and Ani release, during Kent’s 13 years at Yankee Candle, he helped expand it to a 500-store chain. (He also appeared on Undercover Boss.) He took over C. Wonder last May, but ended up presiding over its liquidation eight months later.
He has also worked at Totes Isotoner, Olin Corporation, and the Campbell Soup Company, and as a Bain & Co. consultant.
In December, Alex and Ani’s 40 percent owner, JH Partners, sold half its stake to Lion Capital. The company reportedly did around $350 million in sales in 2014, and has been ranked by Inc. as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies.
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