The last month has spurred an abundance of notable promotions and career changes in the interiors realm. Here’s a roundup of the latest moves across the industry.
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
Shawn Gehle has been named principal at R&A Architecture + Design. Gehle brings 18 years of experience, having served as the founding principal of BNIM’s Los Angeles design studio and as the design principal and studio director at Gensler Los Angeles.
Dayana Escalante-Navia has joined Jamie Stern as creative director, earning prior experience at Leica Camera USA as the corporate retail manager of design and construction. At Jamie Stern, she’ll be responsible for designing a cohesive brand presence.
The Wiseman Group has rearranged its team, with three promotions: Jessica Redondo, Shannon Jute and Gil Mendez are now associate design principals. The design firm also gave promotions to Samantha Beren, Stephanie Paul, Chase Roberson, Kelsey Mazzotta and Veronica Jurist.
Established & Sons has named Sebastian Wrong, who was a founding member of the British furniture company in 2005, as design director. Wrong returns to the company to lead the creative agenda, most notably by establishing forward-thinking design collaborations.
Michelle Duncum of Faulkner Design Group has been promoted to chief operating officer, having served as the vice president of client services and public relations since 2013.
Rowland+Broughton Architecture, Urban Design and Interior Design added three new members to its Aspen-based team: Alison Foto Agley and Jordan Borkovec joined as project architects, and Lorena Vargas was hired as studio manager and executive assistant.
Chelsea Textiles welcomed Justin Jones as a new furniture maker. He joins the team with a background in design and art history.
MEDIA & PR
Domino has promoted Jessica Romm Perez to editor in chief from her prior role as editorial director, and has hired Michael Ciancio as executive creative director.
Alan Blaustein has left Luxe Interiors + Design. Blaustein served as president from December 2015 to May 2017.
MANUFACTURING & RETAIL
Holly Hunt has two new faces: Rick Kilmer has been named president, following his role as general manager of Kallista. David Schutte, formally Holly Hunt president, has been promoted to executive vice president for Knoll Specialty Businesses.
Niki Biszantz Vercollone has founded Curated Communications, a PR and marketing firm with a focus on the design industry. Having served as Suite NY’s director of communications for eight years, Vercollone brings expertise in print and digital marketing to her new role.
Louis Poulsen has hired Kim Rode as national account sales manager. Rode brings prior experience from Design Within Reach, Urban Archaeology and Baker Furniture.
Furniture manufacturer Caracole has named Richard Warren senior vice president of sales, a role that will have him working to expand the firm into new markets. Most recently, Warren has held executive sales roles at Croscill and Ralph Lauren Home.
Munder-Skiles has appointed Andrea Brooke as its East Coast sales director. Brooke, who has past experience at Brunschwig & Fils and Marston & Langinger, will be based out of the 200 Lex showroom.
Chris Kulig has been promoted to director, business strategy and development at GRAFF, where he was previously the national sales manager and managed sales and promoted new business developments. Also at the company, Ryan Paul has been hired as a sales manager serving the western region of the U.S.
Gayle Shand, formerly a sales executive at Interior Design Media, has accepted the role as vice president of sales at Carnegie. Bringing nearly 20 years of industry experience, Shand will be leading the fabric company’s East Coast sales efforts.
Sean O’Connor of Universal Furniture has been promoted to the newly created position of senior vice president of sales. In his new role, O’Connor, previously the vice president of sales for the East region, will be responsible for distributing product lines into sales channels across the nation.
Lorenzo Marquez has left Cosentino North America, where he served as vice president of marketing, to found and serve as president of Houston-based marketing firm Marqet Group.
Julie Sag has left her role at Calvin Klein Home. She will be moving to Los Angeles to pursue new opportunities.
Zoe Settle is the director of design supportive services at Daniel Frisch Architecture. Settle continues to work in public relations for Ralph Pucci and as a freelance design writer and consultant.
The Consultancy PR team hired Julia Sag as a senior account manager. Previously, Sag worked in public relations for Calvin Klein Home and served as the senior account manager at the HL Group, working with brands like Diane von Furstenberg Home and Mattel.
Marisa Jones Issa and Catherine Santonacita have left Camron PR to join the teams at Hello PR Group in Los Angeles and New York, respectively.
Laura Romanoff was hired as a consultant on sales and marketing strategy at SANDOW. Previously, she served as the senior vice president sales and marketing at Maya Romanoff.
Andrew Bertrand, who was the architectural sales consultant for Mosa, has been promoted to corporate account manager, USA. The tile company has also promoted Celeste Gilbert to regional sales manager, Northeastern U.S., and has named Alicia Deck and Dana Sauntry architectural sales consultants for Dallas and Houston, respectively. Maria Gomez and Nicola Campbell have joined Mosa’s customer care team for New York.
Claire Evans has left her role as public relations manager/design services managerat200 Lex andaccepted a marketing position with Baker Furniture in Chicago.
