Harlan M. Kent has been named president of jewelry and accessories firm Alex and Ani LLC.
Kent is the former chief executive officer of Yankee Candle. During his 13-year tenure there, the company grew 2.5 times under his leadership, Alex and Ani said. He left in 2014 and went to join the now defunct C. Wonder, an apparel retailer that was owned by Burch Creative Capital, as ceo. His previous experience includes marketing and sales leadership roles with Totes Isotoner, Olin Corp. and the Campbell Soup Co. He began his career at Bain & Co., and has served on the boards of A.T. Cross and Rue 21. He is on the board of both P.F. Chang’s and the Savory Spice Shop.
Carolyn Rafaelian, founder and ceo of Alex and Ani, said: “[Harlan’s] passion for creating relevancy in quality-infused products, stewarding authentic brand building and developing high-performance teams fits perfectly within the Alex and Ani culture and the strategic direction we envision for the company.”