Blue Nile Appoints New CEO

(IDEX Online News) – Blue Nile appointed Harvey Kanter as Chief Executive Officer and President. Kanter is the former CEO of outdoor apparel and gear firm Moosejaw.

Interim CEO Vijay Talwar was appointed Blue Nile's General Manager and President of Blue Nile's international business.

During Kanter’s tenure, Moosejaw experienced double-digit revenue growth and was the recipient of numerous industry awards, including Internet Retailer Hot 100 and Hot 100 Mobile, Blue Nile said.

Before Moosejaw, Kanter served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Michaels Stores, with nearly $4 billion in annual sales. While at Michaels, Kanter led the overhaul of the company's product merchandising and was responsible for product trend development.

In the past year Blue Nile is suffering from a drop in profitability and share value despite increasing revenues. This led to the resignation of CEO and President Diane Irvine in November, 2011 as the online diamond retailer announced its third quarter results.