Bonifacino leaving Alex and Ani

RYAN BONIFACINO, senior vice president digital at Alex and Ani, right, is leaving the company to pursue his MBA. He is pictured in a file photo from a Providence Business News summit. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
RYAN BONIFACINO, senior vice president digital at Alex and Ani, right, is leaving the company to pursue his MBA. He is pictured in a file photo from a Providence Business News summit. / PBN FILE PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

CRANSTON – Ryan J. Bonifacino, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of digital at Alex and Ani LLC, is leaving the company to pursue MBA studies.

A spokeswoman for the company, Daniela Maron, said a replacement has not yet been named and there is no timetable established to fill the position at the Cranston-based jewelry and lifestyle company. She said the decision to leave was a “personal decision” on the part of Bonifacino, who has worked for Alex and Ani since 2010.

This past summer, Bonifacino, 31, was arrested in Jamestown for breaking and entering and misappropriation of a boat in connection with hosting a party at a home that was not his and crashing a Jet Ski belonging to another resident.

According to information posted on the R.I. Judiciary website, Bonifacino plead no contest to the misappropriation of a boat/watercraft charge, a misdemeanor, on Aug. 14 in Second Division District Court in Newport before Judge Colleen M. Hastings. He paid court costs on Aug. 26 – $500 to the crime victim compensation fund overseen by the general treasurer, plus $93.50 in court costs, for a total of $593.50, according to Craig N. Berke, a court spokesman.

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The charge is scheduled to be expunged in a year, Berke said, who added that a one-year filing is common for a first-time misdemeanor offender of a nonviolent crime.

No information was available about the breaking and entering charge. Berke said he could find no record that such a charge was brought before the court.

In a statement, Carolyn Rafaelian, founder, creative director and CEO of Alex and Ani, said, “Ryan’s insights and commitment have always pushed us toward a better customer experience and have made us a stronger company. We feel fortunate to have had the benefit of his passion and positivity for the last five years, and we’re grateful that he’ll be working with us through the rest of the year.”

Bonifacino oversees digital marketing, online advertising, social media and e-commerce. In a press release, the company said he will continue to advise Alex and Ani through the end of the year on company strategy related to the fourth quarter and holiday season as well as longer-term strategic plans.
“Alex and Ani’s rapid growth – from a $20 million business in 2011 to a $350 million business this year – has in no small part been based on our ongoing digital commitment, and Ryan has been an important part of that,” Harlan Kent, Alex and Ani president, said in a statement. “Digital platforms allow our customers to connect with us and each other wherever they are, and we’re already seeing the result of our $7 million investment in these strategies over the last two years. Digital revenues now account for 25 percent of our business, and our recent app launch is clear evidence of our customers’ ongoing interest in these tools. We’re all happy for Ryan and are excited to see his next endeavor.”

Alex and Ani launched its mobile app on Oct. 1.

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