MajorsJul 29, 2026
Kevin Reilly Retires After 39 Years in the Jewelry Industry MajorsSep 21, 2026
Longtime Industry Executive Pamela Bernstein-Gulla to Retire
Bernstein-Gulla has been working in the jewelry industry for 40 years, most recently as chief engagement officer for Hill & Co.
Pamela Bernstein-Gulla, chief engagement officer at Hill & Co., will retire Sept. 30 after 40 years working for various companies in the jewelry industry. She is pictured at left with Hill & Co. founder and CEO Elle Hill at the Wynn Las Vegas.
New York—After 40 years and a career that included stints at Fortunoff, Plukka (USA), and for the past 10 years, Hill & Co., Pamela Bernstein-Gulla will retire at the end of the month.
Bernstein-Gulla spent the first 25 years of her career at Fortunoff, starting in the housewares department and working her way up to become a buyer in the company’s silver division before ultimately becoming vice president and general manager of the company’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York.
She worked directly with Fortunoff’s CEO, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer, overseeing hiring, training, and budgets for the 120-person staff.
She has often cited Fortunoff owner Alan Fortunoff as a formative mentor in her career.
After Fortunoff, Bernstein-Gulla spent seven years as the human resource and officer director at Peace of Mind Technologies, a company that specializes in digital security services, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She then became the manager of the North American market for Plukka (USA) Inc. for four years, establishing the company’s North American presence and heading the opening of boutiques in Hong Kong and New York.
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Bernstein-Gulla spent the first 25 years of her career at Fortunoff, starting in the housewares department and working her way up to become a buyer in the company’s silver division before ultimately becoming vice president and general manager of the company’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York.
She worked directly with Fortunoff’s CEO, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer, overseeing hiring, training, and budgets for the 120-person staff.
She has often cited Fortunoff owner Alan Fortunoff as a formative mentor in her career.
After Fortunoff, Bernstein-Gulla spent seven years as the human resource and officer director at Peace of Mind Technologies, a company that specializes in digital security services, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She then became the manager of the North American market for Plukka (USA) Inc. for four years, establishing the company’s North American presence and heading the opening of boutiques in Hong Kong and New York.
After her time at Plukka, Bernstein-Gulla joined Hill & Co., where she has worked for the past decade.
Bernstein-Gulla serves as the company’s chief engagement officer, and has been central to the firm’s client relationships, drawing on her decades of retail, e-commerce, and operations experience.
Her retirement will be effective Sept. 30.
“Pam has spent 40 years building the kind of relationships and reputation that can’t be built overnight, and Hill & Co. has been fortunate to have her for nearly a decade of that career,” Hill & Co. founder and CEO Elle Hill said.
“Her retirement is well earned, and we are grateful that her mentorship and her presence in this industry will continue.”
Though Bernstein-Gulla is stepping away from her day-to-day duties at Hill & Co., she will remain active as a mentor in the industry.
She serves on the Women’s Jewelry Association’s (WJA) Metro Mentorship Committee.
She also recently joined the roster for Mentoro’s Jewelry and Watches New York cohort, a program developed in partnership with WJA.
Bernstein-Gulla’s decision to continue serving as a mentor in the industry reflects a guiding principle she has adhered to throughout her career: “Experience is meant to be shared, not kept.”
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