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New York--Chain retailers Target and J.C. Penney have announced changes withihn their executive ranks while Antiquorum has a new director for its auctions in New York. These are among the career moves in the jewelry industry as of late.

J.C. Penney has hired Kristen E. Blum as executive vice president and chief technology officer, the latest executive with experience at Apple Inc. to join the team. Blum, 46, comes to the retailer from Enterprise Transformation at PepsiCo., where she was a senior vice president and chief technology officer. 

From 2006 to 2010, Blum served as senior vice president and chief information officer at Abercrombie & Fitch and on the CEO’s leadership team. Before Abercrombie & Fitch, she spent four years at Apple and, before that, was a senior manager at KPMG/Bearing Point.

Blum holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University.

Target Corp. announced the promotion of John Mulligan from senior vice president of finance to executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective April 1. The 46-year-old Mulligan replaces Doug Scovanner, who announced his retirement in November. The change becomes effective on March 31.

Mulligan has been with Target for 16 years and has held leadership positions in finance, with Target.com and human resources.

Jack L. Stahl, 58, is the newest member of the board of directors for luxury retailer Saks Inc. He also will serve on the board’s audit committee.

Stahl has more than 30 years of management, finance and consumer products experience and currently devotes his time to serving on both corporate and not-for-profit boards and advisory work. His past experience includes four years as president and CEO of Revlon Inc. and serving as chief financial officer and, eventually, president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company.

He holds a bachelor’s from Emory University in Atlanta and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Resigning from the board are Ronald de Waal, chairman of WE International, B.V., a Netherlands retail and fashion company, and Christopher J. Stadler, managing partner of CVC Capital Partners. Both cited time constraints.

Antiquorum has announced the appointment of Michael Friedman as horological director for Antiquorum USA. An internationally recognized expert on watches and clocks, he will oversee all of the auction house's sales, public and private.

Friedman’s career began in 1996 at the Willard House & Clock Museum, where he held the position of assistant curator and apprenticed to conservator David Gow. From there, he went to The National Watch & Clock Museum, then on to Christie’s, where he served as vice president and department head for watches.

He founded the consultancy MLF Horology in 2003 and, most recently, has been serving as a consultant to Sotheby’s watch department in New York.

Friedman’s areas of consistent study and focus include Patek Philippe, mid-20th century wristwatches, complicated pocket watches, enamel watches, Willard clocks and horological art.

Jewelry manufacturer and designer Martin Flyer recently announced that David Spivak has joined the team as a regional sales manager.

Spivak has more than 30 years of experience in the fine jewelry industry, spending most of his career with Charles Wolf and Company.

A pair of independent jewelers announced internal promotions recently. At Manfredi Jewels in Greenwich, Conn. Robert Weintraub has been promoted to store manager while Laif Anderson is the new assistant manager.

Weintraub has been with Manfredi Jewels for five years. He started his career by assisting in the opening of the Tourneau store in Westchester, N.Y. in 2005. Anderson has worked at Manfredi Jewels for four years as the chief master watchmaker. He holds a bachelor’s in metalsmithing and jewelry design from Maine College of Art and degrees in both watchmaking and clock-making from the NAWCC School of Horology in Columbia, Pa.

At Northeastern Fine Jewelry in upstate New York, Gregg Kelly is the new vice president in charge of staff and training at all three of the company’s stores. He joined the company as a sales associate in 2004, was promoted to manger of the company’s Albany, N.Y. store in 2006 and became director of sales for all stores in 2010.

Kelly’s wife Valerie is the marketing director for Northeastern Fine Jewelry and the daughter of Northeastern Fine Jewelry owner Ray Bleser. He attended The College of Saint Rose, where he majored in business. He resides in Glenville, N.Y., with his wife and young daughter.