New York—Longtime Signet Jewelers executive David Bouffard is leaving the company, as well as his post on the Responsible Jewellery Council’s board.
Bouffard has worked with the jewelry giant for 42 years, as per his LinkedIn profile.
He has served in a variety of roles since joining the company in 1981, including vice president of marketing and public relations, vice president of corporate public relations, and vice president of Signet corporate affairs.
Last month, he stepped into the role of Signet fellow of industry affairs.
“We are so grateful for all David has done to advance our company and the industry over the past four decades, including our industry affairs and sustainability efforts,” said Colleen Rooney, Signet’s chief communications and ESG officer.
“We thank David for his decades of service to the company, his many contributions to strategic industry initiatives, and his valued leadership in Signet’s philanthropic efforts.”
The company has also hired Matt Swibel as its new vice president of sustainability and social impact, said Rooney.
Bouffard has also served as chair of the Responsible Jewellery Council since 2018.
He was a member of the executive committee from 2005 to 2012 and later took on the role of co-chair of the standards committee from 2012 to 2015, when he was appointed chair of the communications committee.
Bouffard will step down from his roles at both organisations in April and has not yet announced his next steps.
In an emailed statement on behalf of the RJC, Bouffard wrote: “I want to thank you all for your unwavering support, guidance and advice over the past six years. It has been an honour to serve as chairman of the RJC”.
The board will hold a special election for his seat, beginning the process in January, with the hope of having a replacement in place by March before Bouffard’s departure.
Bouffard highlighted RJC’s diversity, noting that the team speaks 16 different languages and is 84 percent female.
“If a woman is elected chair, she will be the first female chair since the RJC was conceived in 2005,” he wrote.
