Blue Nile has a new leader.
Former Target e-commerce chief Jason Goldberger is now the CEO and president of Blue Nile, the 18-year-old Seattle-based online jeweler.
“Blue Nile has offered customers unsurpassed value in an easy, intuitive shopping experience for nearly 20 years,” Goldberger said in a statement. “I am truly excited to lead the company in deepening our relationship with customers to accelerate the growth of our business.”
Goldberger, who starts June 12, was most recently the chief digital officer at Target. The 45-year-old joined the company in January 2013 and left in October 2016, when the retail giant went through a major executive shakeup.
Goldberger, who also spent seven years at Amazon, replaces Harvey Kanter, who will remain chairman of the board and “continue to play an important role in the strategic direction of the company,” Blue Nile said in a press release.
Kanter started at Blue Nile in March 2012.
“As the Board and I discussed succession planning, we agreed this is the right time to bring in a new CEO to lead the company’s next phase of growth,” said Kanter. “Jason is an experienced leader with deep ecommerce experience who will work closely with the team to innovate, secure, and further our position as the smartest, easiest, and most pressure-free way for consumers to buy a diamond.”
Blue Nile, which went public in 2004, sold to a group of private equity firms for $500 million in February. The company kept its Seattle headquarters and became a privately-held company.
Blue Nile Nile posted net sales of $480 million in 2015, up 1.4 percent from the previous year. The company has been pushing a brick-and-mortar initiative, opening physical locations as it aims to offer customers the convenience of internet shopping while providing storefronts where precious stones can be seen and touched.
