AUSTIN, TX — Kendra Scott is stepping down from the CEO role of the namesake jewelry company she founded.
Tom Nolan, president of Kendra Scott, has been promoted to chief executive, effective immediately. Scott will continue in her role as executive chairwoman and majority owner leading design, customer experience and philanthropy.
Kendra Scott founded the company in 2002 and has been the sole CEO.
“Over the last seven years, Tom has been an incredible thought partner to me and a wonderful steward of the brand,” Scott said. “During this extraordinary time of retail transformation, there has been no better person to partner with me on building the brand and the business. Tom is an experienced executive with a relentless focus on the customer, operational rigor, and strong expertise in digital transformation. With Tom at my side as CEO, I can continue to focus on what I have always seen as the core of the brand – great design, strong philanthropic impact and a continued commitment to our customer.”
Nolan has more than 20 years of senior management experience in brand building, retail innovation and strategic planning. Before joining Kendra Scott, he held senior roles at Ralph Lauren and Conde Nast and was founder and CEO of Prospect Brands.
Nolan joined the Kendra Scott board in 2014 and joined the company as chief revenue and marketing officer in 2016. In 2019 he was elevated to president.
Nolan worked alongside Scott on the company’s South Congress Austin flagship launch, a minority investment from Berkshire Partners that valued the company at $1 billion, and the launch of the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, where Scott is currently a professor of practice.
“Kendra’s vision, sense of purpose, and design ability are second to none and I am both humbled and grateful for the trust she has in me to assume this role,” Nolan said. “The retail industry is constantly evolving, and I’m thrilled to continue to work alongside Kendra in this new role to not only provide sustainable value, but also with a shared responsibility to serve our customers and continue to positively impact people’s lives every day through our philanthropy efforts.
“We’ve come off of a remarkable year and together, along with the Kendra Scott team, we will continue to build our Family, Fashion and Philanthropy pillars, which are core to our culture, and drive the growth of this extraordinary brand.”