SEATTLE, July 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Nile (NASDAQ:NILE), a leading retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, today announced the appointment of Elaine Rubin to its Board of Directors. She will step in to replace former board member Mary Alice Taylor, who tendered her resignation on July 15.
Mary Alice Taylor
Ms. Taylor was one of Blue Nile’s first board members and contributed 16 successful years, where she served as Blue Nile’s lead independent director, chair of the Audit Committee, and chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
“On behalf of the board and the entire Blue Nile team, we sincerely appreciate Mary Alice’s active guidance and counsel during her tenure on our Board of Directors. She has been an invaluable advisor as we have grown our business from a one-year-old start-up to a half a billion dollar company. In that time, Mary Alice never missed a board meeting, and consistently and passionately represented the best interests of our shareholders. We are honored to have benefited from Mary Alice’s leadership, passion, and expertise,” said Harvey Kanter, Blue Nile President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer.
“Blue Nile is a special company that is revolutionizing the way consumers purchase diamonds and fine jewelry. I was delighted to join the board in 2000, and am thankful for my role in the company’s growth and development,” said Mary Alice Taylor. “I look forward to spending more time with my family and pursuing other outside interests. I am leaving Blue Nile with the knowledge that it will continue to prosper, and that the board and management team are capable and accomplished shareholder advocates.”
Elaine Rubin
Ms. Rubin is the founder and president of Digital Prophets Network, a network of digital commerce experts, with more than 20 years of executive and advisory experience in ecommerce, digital, marketing, retail, and direct-to-consumer business.
“As we continue to redefine what it means to be an industry leader, and blaze new ways to offer customers more choices, we are excited to welcome Elaine to the board and look forward to taking advantage of her experience as a visionary leader,” Kanter said.
Previously, Ms. Rubin served as founder, chairman, and board member of Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, board member of and recipient of the Silver Plaque Award for service to National Retail Federation, advisor at Monetate, Inc., and a retail advisory board member for Hilco Global. In addition, Ms. Rubin is actively engaged as a board member of Moosejaw Mountaineering, an advisor to Hint Inc., a member of the Shop.org Think Tank, and co-founder of Retreat & Disrupt, an invite only digital leader’s summit.
With these changes, Blue Nile’s Board of Directors remains at eight members.
About Blue Nile, Inc. (Nasdaq:NILE)
Blue Nile, Inc. is a leading jeweler. The company offers a smarter way to buy engagement rings, wedding rings, and fine jewelry by providing in-depth educational materials and unique online tools that place consumers in control of the jewelry shopping process. Blue Nile has some of the highest quality standards in the industry and offers thousands of independently graded diamonds and fine jewelry at prices significantly below traditional retail. Blue Nile can be found online at www.bluenile.com. Blue Nile's shares are traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol NILE.