Gina Drosos (pictured), who has served as Signet Jewelers’ CEO since 2017, is retiring from that role and the company’s board, effective Nov. 4.
She will be replaced by J.K. Symancyk, 52, who’s been CEO of PetSmart, the chain of 1,600 pet supply “superstores,” for the past six years. Prior to that, Symancyk was CEO of Academy Sports + Outdoors from 2015 to 2018. The 30-year retail veteran began his career at Walmart and has also been an executive at Meijer, the department store.
Drosos will continue as a company adviser through the end of the fiscal year. She joined Signet’s board in 2012.
In addition, Joan Hilson, who currently serves as Signet’s chief financial, strategy, and services officer, has been appointed chief financial and operating officer. In her new position, Hilson will oversee the company’s supply chain as well as e-tailers Blue Nile and James Allen, subsidiaries of Signet.
Hilson will retain her current duties managing Signet’s finance, strategy, real estate, and services business along with its Rocksbox brand. Hilson has been Signet’s CFO since 2019.
In a statement, Signet’s board chair Helen McCluskey said, “The leadership transition announced today is the result of a thoughtful, planned succession process by Gina and our board.”
McCluskey called Symancyk “a strong leader with more than three decades of experience across the retail industry and proven expertise in driving strategic growth, focusing on the customer, and developing and sustaining high-performing leadership teams that deliver results.”
She added that as CEO, Drosos and her team “increased e-commerce sales fourfold and transformed the company’s financial results, reducing gross debt outstanding by over 90%, nearly doubling liquidity, and over the last four years expanding adjusted operating margin more than 70%.”
Signet has put together an infographic detailing the highlights of Drosos’ tenure.
(Drosos and Hilson photos courtesy of Signet Jewelers)
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