Decision Makers
| Name (plus bio) |
Position |
| Daisy Chin-Lor |
Cmo & Executive Vice President |
| Joseph A. Keifer |
Coo & Executive Vice President |
| Michael Rabinovitch |
Cfo & Senior Vice President |
| Milt Thacker |
CIO & Group Vice President |
| Aida Alvarez |
Senior Vice President, Mdsg |
| Al Rahm |
Senior Vice President, Retail Operations |
| Helene Messier |
Senior Vice President, HR |
| John Orrico |
Senior Vice President |
| Carlo Coda-Nunziante |
Group Vice President, Strategy & Business Dev |
| Jeff Morris |
Controller & Group Vice President, Accounting |
| Jocelyn Desy |
Group Vice President, Corp Sales |
| Marco Pasteris |
Treasurer & Group Vice President, Finance |
| Miranda Melfi |
Secretary & Group Vice President, Legal Affairs |
| Emily Berlin |
Director & Executive Vice President, Helm Holdings, Inc. |
| Holly Brubach |
Director, Creative |
| Della Valle |
|
| Henry Birks |
|
| Jose Hess |
|
| Toni Cavelti |
|
| Alain Benedetti |
Director |
| Peter R. O. Brien |
Director |
Board of Directors
Daisy Chin-Lor, age 52, is our Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for Birks & Mayors
having held a similar position at Mayors since April 1, 2005. Ms. Chin-Lor has extensive experience in the
international luxury goods environment, specifically in the area of high-end cosmetics. From 2002 to 2005,
Ms. Chin-Lor was the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Elizabeth Arden Spas. From
2000 to 2001 she was the Executive Director of Russell Reynolds Associates. Prior to 2000, Ms. Chin-Lor spent
two years establishing a market presence for Chanel in Thailand and spent nearly 20 years working for Avon
Products.
Joseph A. Keifer, III, age 54, is our Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer having previously
held such position at Mayors. Prior to joining Mayors, Mr. Keifer held the position of Vice President
Merchandising for Birks from 1998 to 2002. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Keifer was the Senior Vice President of
Fine Jewelry Merchandise for Montgomery Ward. Prior to that, Mr. Keifer spent 21 years with Zale Corporation
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during which he held various positions, including Senior Vice President of Company Operations and President of
the Bailey Banks & Biddle division.
Michael Rabinovitch, age 36, became our Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer effective
August 1, 2005. Prior to joining Birks & Mayors, Mr. Rabinovitch had been Vice President of Finance of
Claire’s Stores, Inc. since 1999. Before joining Claire’s Stores, Inc., Mr. Rabinovitch was Vice President of
Accounting & Corporate Controller at an equipment leasing company. Mr. Rabinovitch spent 5 years with Price
Waterhouse LLP, most recently as Senior Auditor. Mr. Rabinovitch is a licensed CPA and is a member of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Aida Alvarez, age 43, is our Senior Vice President Merchandising and held the position of Vice President
Merchandising at Mayors since February 2001. From August 1989 to February 2001, Ms. Alvarez served as
General Merchandise Manager, Divisional Merchandise Manager and Head Watch Buyer for Mayors. Prior to
joining Mayors in August 1989, Ms. Alvarez worked for Zale Corporation as a Group Store Manager from 1987
to 1989.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Birks & Mayors Inc. |
Senior Vice President, Retail Operations |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Birks & Mayors Inc. |
Group Vice President, Strategy & Business Dev |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Birks & Mayors Inc. |
Controller & Group Vice President, Accounting |
Current |
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Birks & Mayors Inc. |
Treasurer & Group Vice President, Finance |
Current |
Miranda Melfi, age, 42, has been our Group Vice President, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary since
April 3, 2006. Prior to joining us, Ms. Melfi was with Cascades Inc., a publicly-traded pulp and paper company
for eight years and held the position of Vice President, Legal Affairs, Boxboard Group. From 1994 to 1998,
Ms. Melfi was Vice President, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary at Stella-Jones Inc., a publicly-traded wood
products company, and from 1991 to 1994, practiced corporate, commercial and securities law with Fasken
Martineau DuMoulin LLP.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Birks & Mayors Inc. |
Secretary & Group Vice President, Legal Affairs |
Current |
Emily Berlin , age 62, has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2005. Ms. Berlin s term as a director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2009. She was a member of the board of directors of Mayors from October 2002 until November 14, 2005. She has also been a Senior Managing Director of Helm Holdings International since 2001, which is a member of a diversified privately owned group of companies operating principally in Central and Latin America. From 1974 to 2000, she was a member of the law firm of Shearman & Sterling, becoming a partner in 1981.
For Birks, it has been an illustrious and celebrated journey of more than 128 years. In 1879, Henry Birks was inspired to start his own jewellery store with a set of core values including quality, exclusivity, excellent service and design innovation. His vision is at the cornerstone of a retail empire spanning five generations that served a clientele that included royalty and heads of state. Throughout the 20th century, great moments mark Birks' memorable journey as it dominated the Canadian jewellery market and earned more international design awards for its work with diamonds than any other Canadian jeweler. Sharing Birks' philosophy of excellence, Regaluxe Investment decided to acquire Henry Birks & Sons in 1993. Count Lorenzo Rossi di Montelera from Turin, Italy, which represents a controlling interest in Regaluxe Investment, recognized in Birks a luxury brand with tremendous potential. "A brand is special" he says. "It's not something that comes up and goes away it's a long-term prospect. Birks, as a brand, is a national icon. It is irreplaceable. I know how important that is to the success of a brand. It was that same focus on brand identity that contributed to our success at Martini & Rossi."
Dr. Lorenzo Rossi di Montelera , age 68, has served as Chairman of our Board of Directors since 1993, and prior to the merger, Dr. Rossi served on the board of directors of Mayors. Dr. Rossi s term as a director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2009. He is also on the Board of Directors of Azimut S.p.A. and the Advisory Board of the Global Leadership Institute of New York. Dr. Rossi is also a director and Chairman of Gestofi S.A. and a director of Rohan Private Trust Company Limited who is the trustee of the Goldfish Trust which beneficially owns or controls all of the shares of the Company held by Montrovest. Dr. Rossi is the father-in-law of Mr. Carlo Coda-Nunziante who is our Group Vice President, Strategy & Business Development. Dr. Rossi is also the father of Mr. Niccolo Rossi who, as an employee of Gestofi, S.A., will be providing consulting services to the Company.
Ann Spector Lieff, age 54, has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2005. Ms. Lieff’s
term as a director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2006. She was a member of the board of directors of Mayors
from October 2002 until November 14, 2005 and is the founder of The Lieff Company, established in 1998,
which is a Miami-based consulting group specializing in Chief Executive Officer mentoring, leadership
development, corporate strategies to assist and expand organizations in the management of their business
practices, and advisory services to corporate boards. She was Chief Executive Officer of SPEC’s Music from
1980 until 1998. Ms. Lieff currently serves as a member of the Executive Advisory Board, University of Denver
Daniels College of Business and also serves on the board of directors of Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Claire’s
Stores, Inc., and Hastings Entertainment, Inc. Ms. Lieff has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the
University of Denver, 1974.
Elizabeth M. Eveillard, age 59, has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2005.
Ms. Eveillard’s term as a director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2006. She was a member of the board of
directors of Mayors from August 2002 until November 14, 2005 and is an independent consultant with over 30
years of experience in the investment banking industry. During 2000-2003, she was a consultant and Senior
Managing Director, Retailing and Apparel Group, Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. During 1988-2000, she served as
Managing Director and Head of the Retailing Group, PaineWebber Incorporated. From 1972 to 1988 she held
various positions at Lehman Brothers, including Managing Director in the Merchandising Group. She serves on
the boards of the following publicly-held and private companies: Beall’s, Inc.; Too, Inc.; and Retail Ventures,
Inc. In addition to her board seats at the aforementioned companies, she is also a member of their respective
compensation committees.
Filippo Recami, age 55, has been a director of Birks & Mayors since November 1, 1999 and a Managing
Director of Iniziativa S.A. (Luxembourg) since the beginning of 1999. Mr. Recami’s term as a director of
Birks & Mayors expires in 2006. He has also been the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of
Regaluxe Investment S.a.r.l since March 1999. After the merger on March 31, 2006 between Iniziativa and
Regaluxe, Mr. Recami was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company resulting from the merger, namely
Iniziativa. He was also on the Mayors board of directors from October 2002 until November 14, 2005. Between
1978 and 1998, Mr. Recami had held senior management positions in several major public European
corporations including Fiat S.p.A. (Italy), Sorin Biomedica S.p.A. (Italy), Sorin France S.p.A. (France), SNIA
S.p.A. (Italy), and Rhône Poulenc S.A. (France). Mr. Recami holds a Certified Public Accountant title given by
the Ministry of Justice of the Italian Government.
| Organization |
Position |
Status |
| Mouvement des Caisses Desjardins |
|
Current |
| Birks & Mayors Inc. |
Board of Directors |
Current |
| Investissement Quebec |
President |
Former |
| Desjardins Venture Capital Inc. |
President and Chief Operating Officer |
Former |
| Investissement Quebec |
General Manager |
Former |
| Harvard University |
Doctorate In Business Administration |
Former |
Margherita Oberti, age 61, has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1993. Ms. Oberti’s term as a
director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2006. Ms. Oberti was born near Turin, Italy, and resides in West
Vancouver, B.C. Before coming to Canada, she studied at the University of Turin, where she obtained a
Doctorate in Philosophy, and at the University of Milan, where she did post-doctoral studies in epistemology.
After coming to Canada she also obtained a doctorate in classical studies from the University of British
Columbia. Mrs. Oberti has been active in charity work, as a director of the Vancouver Foundation of Art Justice
and Liberty, in education as a college professor, and in business as a director and officer of several companies,
including Eccom Developments Ltd., the development company that built and sold two trend setting residential
high rises, Seawalk Place, in West Vancouver, B.C. and Palais Georgia, in Vancouver.
Massimo Ferragamo, age 48, has been a member of our Board of Directors since November 2005.
Mr. Ferragamo’s term as a director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2006. He was a member of the board of
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directors of Mayors from October 2002 until November 14, 2005 and has been the Chairman of the Board of
Ferragamo USA, Inc., which is the wholly owned subsidiary of Salvatore Ferragamo Italia. Mr. Ferragamo had
held the position of President since 1985 and became Chairman in 2000. Ferragamo USA Inc. imports and
distributes Ferragamo products throughout North America. He also serves on the Board of Directors of YUM!
Brands, Inc. and the American Italian Cancer Foundation.
Peter R. O Brien , age 63, has been a director of Birks & Mayors since 1993. Mr. O Brien s term as a director of Birks & Mayors expires in 2009. He is a self-employed corporate and commercial lawyer and a corporate director. He is Director-in-Residence at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Mr. O Brien is a Director and Chairman of the MAB-Mackay Foundation and Director and Honorary Secretary of the Canadian Guild of Crafts and a director of Technoparc Montreal. He was the founding Chairman of the Canadian Irish Studies Foundation, is a past Chairman of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation and past-Chairman of the McGill University Health Centre Foundation.