Kendra Scott CEO Tom Nolan: 'We've been bullish on retail, even through Covid'

In 2021, Kendra Scott passed on the CEO title she’d held for her 20-year-old namesake jewelry company to Tom Nolan, a Ralph Lauren and Condé Nast veteran who’d joined Kendra Scott in 2015 as a member of the board of directors. 

Between 2015-2021, Kendra Scott became “a very big business valued at more than $1 billion,” Nolan said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. 

And the brand is still in growth mode. 

Kendra Scott recently entered the luxury jewelry market, plus it’s actively rolling out new stores. By the end of July, it will have 134 Kendra Scott stores across 35 U.S. states. “We've been aggressively pursuing retail and we've been really bullish on retail, even through Covid,” Nolan said.

The stores, which drive 50% of sales, double as event spaces; last year, 128 Kendra Scott stores hosted 20,000 total events. The Northeast is the brand’s fastest-growing U.S. market, and it’s currently expanding internationally through wholesale partners. 

On the podcast, Nolan discusses Kendra Scott’s philanthropy-fueled success and his own career path which unexpectedly yet perfectly landed him in his current role.