Chris Blakeslee has experience at Athleta and Alo Yoga. Kendra Scott will remain on board as executive chair and chief visionary officer.
CEO of Company that Owns Couture, JA NY Resigns
David Loechner was the head of Emerald Expositions, which also owns the Las Vegas antique jewelry trade show.
San Juan Capistrano, Calif.—The president and CEO of trade show company Emerald Expositions, which runs Couture and JA New York, has stepped down.
David Loechner had been with Emerald and its predecessor companies—which include Miller Freeman, VNU Expositions and Nielsen Business Media—for more than 35 years.
He became CEO of Emerald Expositions in 2013, when the company was renamed following its acquisition by private equity firm Onex Corp.
Emerald went public in April 2017.
Loechner’s resignation will be effective end-of-day Friday.
The company said in a news release issued Nov. 1 that its board of directors has begun searching for a permanent replacement. In the interim, the board has selected Chief Financial Officer Philip Evans to serve as president and CEO, also effective Friday.
Evans has been CFO since 2013 and has more than 30 years’ experience in financial and leadership roles, including playing a critical role in Emerald’s initial public offering. Immediately prior to joining the company, he was CFO of online information research firm ProQuest.
The company said Loechner will stay on through Dec. 31 to “ensure a smooth transition.”
Emerald Expositions Events Inc. operates nearly 60 business-to-business trade shows in the United States.
In addition to Couture and JA New York, its jewelry trade show holdings include U.S. Antique Shows—which operates the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, the Original Miami Beach Antique Show and the New York Antique Jewelry & Watch show—and the new Premier show, which is launching this coming May in Las Vegas.
Emerald also owned National Jeweler until January 2015, when it sold the trade publication to Jewelers of America.
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