Signet Jewelers Limited, which has recently been dogged by controversy over sexual harassment discrimination accusations by employees of its Sterling Jewelers brand, announced that its board of directors has appointed Virginia “Gina” Drosos, who has served as an independent director on the board since 2012, as the new Chief Executive Officer effective August 1.
The company said that Mark Light, who has served as CEO since 2014, has decided to retire after more than 35 years with Signet due to health reasons.
Drosos has over 29 years of executive leadership experience in the beauty and consumer goods industries. She previously served as President & CEO of Assurex Health and as a Group President of Global Beauty Care at The Procter & Gamble Company.
“I am honored to serve as the CEO of Signet and look forward to working with our strong management and team members to deliver our revised 2020 vision, which is focused on bridal, digital and women’s fashion,” Drosos said, adding, “Signet is well positioned to continue to drive its unprecedented leadership in diamond jewellery and expand its market share in growing categories, such as fashion jewellery.”
She went on to note, “I am committed to successfully executing our strategic priorities as we continue to transform Signet to become a more innovative, digital-first and data-driven retailer focused on delivering an outstanding OmniChannel experience to customers.”
Signet Chairman Todd Stitzer said, “I want to welcome Gina as Signet’s new CEO. She is a visionary and transformational leader with a proven track record of growing and scaling global businesses through winning strategies and innovation. Gina’s experience brings a unique combination of demonstrated brand building, given her strong background in beauty, along with the creativity, flexibility and boldness of an entrepreneurial mindset.”
Stitzer went on to say, “On behalf of the board, I want to thank Mark for his years of dedicated service and the many contributions he made to the company. He has been instrumental to the company’s growth and success.”
Light observed, “I’m very proud of all that Signet has been able to accomplish over the course of my career and it has been a privilege to work with such outstanding colleagues over these many years.”
https://www.gemkonnect.com/news/virginia-drosos-appointed-signet-ceo-mark-light-departs