Signet Group announces major management re-shuffle

Signet Jewelers today announced that Ronald Ristau resigned from his position as CFO, as did Theo Killion, the president and CEO of the recently acquired Zale division. 

Current senior vice president and controller Michele Santana has been promoted to CFO designate, effective immediately, and George Murray, Signet’s current chief integration management officer, has been promoted to president of the Zale division and will succeed Killion upon his departure on 31 July.

Santana joined Signet in 2010 and has served in her current role since that time. She played a key role in Signet’s recent acquisition of Zale Corporation and has also held management positions at KPMG as well as other large international public companies, in an advisory role.

Mike Barnes, Signet’s CEO, said: “Michele has been a key member of the Signet leadership team during a period of exceptional success and growth. She brings outstanding qualifications and experience in all aspects of finance to the company and I am confident she will be a tremendous asset as we continue to grow.”

Commenting on Ristau’s resignation, he added: “Since he joined Signet in 2010, Ron has been instrumental in Signet’s strong growth and performance, and he played a critical role in Signet’s recent acquisition of Zale. We respect his decision to relocate to be nearer to his family. On behalf of Signet, I thank Ron for his many contributions to Signet and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Signet’s portfolio includes more than 1,400 stores in the US and 500 in the UK (Ernest Jones and H Samuel among them). Its Zale, Peoples and Piercing Pagoda brands comprise a further 1,600 stores in the US and Canada.