Blue Nile Management Team:
The team looks pretty impressive. The site is pretty impressive too. They are advertising on some good sites -- (read: sites that have affluent readers)! The company appears to have excellent products, at reasonable prices.
An experienced strategist and management consultant, co-founder Mark Vadon leads Blue Nile as its CEO. Prior to Blue Nile, Vadon was a consultant for Bain & Company, a worldwide strategy consulting firm.
At Bain, Vadon received extensive experience in brand marketing, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. Vadon previously worked as an associate with Texas Pacific Group. Vadon's career in online jewelry began when he found his wife's diamond engagement ring on the Web. Vadon holds a bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, in social studies from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford.
As senior vice president of Marketing and Merchandising for Blue Nile, Cast leads the company's strategies for brand development, customer acquisition and retention, and site merchandising. Cast has extensive experience in advertising, promotions, market research and brand and product development for companies such as Electronic Arts, Frito-Lay, and PepsiCo Food Service International. Most recently, he served as vice president of PC Entertainment Marketing for Electronic Arts, the world's largest interactive entertainment software company. Cast holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Stanford and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern.
As vice president of Creative Services for Blue Nile, Elowitz is responsible for Blue Nile's Web site and creating an outstanding customer experience. Before co-founding Blue Nile, Elowitz was one of the first employees at Fatbrain.com, where he served as the director of business development. Prior to Fatbrain.com, Elowitz held positions at Bain & Company and Microsoft. Elowitz holds both a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and computer science and a bachelor of arts degree in applied mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Diane Irvine brings 18 years of financial and executive leadership to her position as chief financial officer at Blue Nile.
As vice president and CFO of Plum Creek Timber Company, a publicly-held forest-products company, Irvine oversaw $750 million in acquisitions. Before her tenure at Plum Creek, Irvine was a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she spent 13 years providing tax-planning and consulting services for corporate clients across multiple industries. Irvine graduated with a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Illinois State University and holds a master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University. Irvine currently serves as a member of the board for D. A. Davidson & Co., an investment firm that operates throughout the Northwest.
Bob Paquin oversees Blue Nile's distribution center, customer service center, and information technology systems.
Before joining Blue Nile, Paquin served as chief information officer and senior vice president of operations and information services at L.L. Bean, one of the world's leading mail-order companies. He spearheaded L.L. Bean's e-commerce site and oversaw the company's call center and distribution capabilities. Paquin has more than 20 years of experience in operations and customer-information systems, gained at companies such as Hanover Direct, Tweeds, and Bear Creek Corporation. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southern Oregon State College and has completed executive courses at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Janet Sigler brings to Blue Nile 22 years of experience as a merchant for Zale Corporation, Price Club, Diamond Designs, and Diamond Exchange.
Throughout her career in the jewelry industry, Sigler has earned numerous honors including three successive Buyer of the Year awards from Zale's, where she was responsible for sales of $200 million in diamonds. Sigler graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor of science degree and a business degree in marketing and management.
Doug Williams, vice president of Loose Diamonds for Blue Nile, has dedicated his life to diamonds.
A 23-year veteran of the diamond industry, he is responsible for the outstanding quality of the Blue Nile loose diamond inventory as well as our relationships with some of the world's largest diamond suppliers. Williams learned the process of grading and cutting diamonds as an apprentice on the floor of the Diamond Exchange in Israel, before opening Williams & Son Diamond Salon near Seattle in 1974, then the Internet Diamonds Web site in early 1996. His success in the jewelry business is a result of his deep commitment to customer service and his belief in offering only top-grade merchandise. Williams is a professional gemologist, having completed coursework with the Gemological Institute of America. |
