Birks announces CFO transition

By

Robin Driver

Published
Dec 24, 2019

Montreal-based jewelry retailer Birks Group Inc. has revealed that Pasquale (Pat) Di Lillo is stepping down from his role as vice president and chief financial officer early next year and will be succeeded by Katia Fontana.

 
Di Lillo, who has served as CFO at Birks for the last five years, will be leaving the company to pursue personal interests on January 17, 2020. Fontana will step into her new role on January 13, allowing for a transition period before Di Lillo’s departure.
 
Fontana has more than 25 years of experience in finance and accounting, and joins Birks from Avenir Global, a holding company for communications and public relations firms, where she has served as CFO since January 2019.

Prior to this, she spent 15 years at apparel retailer Dynamite Groupe, serving in a range of finance-related roles, including CFO, VP for finance and administration, and director of finance.
 
The executive, who holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Québec at Montreal and a Chartered Professional Accountant Designation from l’Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec, also worked as senior manager for assurance and advisory services at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu from 1993 to 2004.
 
“I am very pleased to welcome Katia Fontana to Birks Group,” said the company’s CEO, Jean-Christophe Bédos, in a release. “Her experience and knowledge in finance and accounting and her retail experience will be valuable assets for Birks Group as we continue the development of the Birks product brand and the transformation of our stores network in Canada.”
 
Birks, which is in the midst of a five-year strategic plan, reported net sales of $85.3 million in the first half of fiscal 2020, up 24% year over year. The company also narrowed its net loss from $10.4 million to $4.5 million in the six-month period.