SOUTH DEERFIELD, Mass.–Harlan M. Kent will become president and chief executive officer of the Yankee Candle Company on October 1, 2009, succeeding Craig W. Rydin, who will continue to serve as chairman and CEO through October 1, 2009 and will then serve as executive chairman of the board for another year.
Rydin said Kent, currently president and chief operating officer at Yankee, is “extremely well qualified” for the role. “He is a strong and experienced leader with tremendous business acumen and a deep knowledge of our customer and the markets in which we compete,” Rydin said in a statement. “Harlan is well positioned to take Yankee Candle to the next level of our growth story and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him and the rest of our talented management team to help him in any way that I can.”
Kent joined Yankee Candle in 2001 as senior vice president, wholesale. He was promoted to president in July 2004 and was promoted to president and chief operating officer in December 2005.
“Despite the challenging economic conditions that we are currently facing, I firmly believe that the strength of our brand, our vertically integrated business model and our strong cash flow and balance sheet position Yankee Candle well to capitalize on the many opportunities still before us when the economy begins to turn around,” Kent said in a statement.