Promotions reflect a more corporate senior management structure across Richline Group’s portfolio of businesses
Richline Group, a Berkshire Hathaway company and a vertically integrated leader in the metals and jewelry industries, is pleased to announce the promotions of Arien Gessner to Chief Revenue Officer of Richline Group and Moss Makhoulian to Senior Vice President of Richline Group, Supply Chain and Operations.
The appointments to these newly established roles mark an important step in Richline Group’s long-term organizational strategy, bringing the company’s businesses under a more corporate senior management structure. These changes are designed to strengthen collaboration across Richline Group’s portfolio of businesses, enhance operational alignment, and position the organization for continued growth.
“With this direction, I am pleased to announce these two promotions in support of our longer-term strategy,” said Dave Meleski, President and CEO of Richline Group. “Arien and Moss have each earned this through the expertise and leadership our industry demands, and these expanded roles speak to the confidence we have in them as we plan for the future of our company and our businesses.”
Arien Gessner has been a driving force behind Rio Grande’s growth for more than a decade, and his elevation to Chief Revenue Officer, a newly created role, will further leverage his vision and leadership as we unify our revenue strategy across Richline Group. Gessner joined Richline Group in 2013 as a Marketing Manager at Rio Grande, advancing through Marketing Director and Vice President before being named President of Rio Grande, a role he held for more than six years prior to this promotion. He currently leads the revenue organizations for Rio Grande, LeachGarner Attleboro, Nordt, and Silpada. In his expanded role, Gessner will assume oversight of Richline Jewelry U.S. revenue and will report directly to Richline Group President and CEO Dave Meleski.
Rio Grande’s leadership will continue through its existing Vice President team, which will report into Richline Group’s executive leadership. Gessner serves on the boards of the Responsible Jewellery Council, Jewelers Vigilance Committee, Jewelers Board of Trade, and Jewelers for Children. His proven leadership, customer focus, and ability to drive growth across multiple businesses make him well positioned to lead Richline Group’s unified revenue strategy.
“It has been the honor of my career to lead Rio Grande for these past several years, and I’m grateful for the trust Dave and the broader Richline team have placed in me to take on this expanded role,” said Gessner. “Our industry is evolving quickly, and I’m excited to bring that same focus on people, partnership, and growth to revenue across the wider Richline portfolio as we build toward the future together.”
Moss Makhoulian has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Supply Chain and Operations, a newly created corporate leadership role. He most recently served six years as Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Research & Development at Richline Group. With more than three decades of experience in the luxury industry, Makhoulian has held leadership positions with, HONORA, David Yurman, and Egana Goldpfeil, where he served as Chief Operating Officer. Makhoulian serves on the boards of The Plumb Club and Jewelers for Children. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Queens College and an MBA from the University of Oxford.
Makhoulian will continue to oversee Merchandising and Product Development in the near term. In his expanded role, he will immediately assume oversight of Richline Jewelry Procurement, reporting to Dave Radcliffe, Chief Information Officer of Richline Group and Executive Vice President of Operations for Richline Jewelry. Working closely with Radcliffe, Makhoulian will expand his leadership across the company’s end-to-end jewelry supply chain, including increased oversight of manufacturing capacity planning for Richline Group’s owned factories in the Dominican Republic and China, as well as broader responsibility for logistics and diamond supply operations.
“Richline has always succeeded by combining exceptional craftsmanship with operational excellence. I’m honored to take on this expanded role and look forward to working even more closely with our teams to strengthen our global supply chain, enhance collaboration across procurement and manufacturing, and help position the company for continued growth and long-term success,” said Makhoulian.
Bio of Arien Gessner:
Arien Gessner is Chief Revenue Officer of Richline Group, a global jewelry supplier and a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. Arien is responsible for overseeing the revenue functions for Richline Jewelry, a manufacturer and wholesale distributor of fine jewelry, Leach Garner, a melt-to-market precious metal mill and findings manufacturer, John C. Nordt, maker of extruded precious metal tubing and bands, and Rio Grande, a prominent supplier to bench jewelers and artisans. In his role, Arien is a steward of Richline Group’s longstanding mission of providing jewelry retailers, manufacturers, and fabricators worldwide with high quality products, trusted expertise, and exceptional service.
Since joining Richline Group in 2013 as a Marketing Manager at the Rio Grande division, he has held several leadership roles, including Marketing Director, Vice President, and President of Rio Grande, before being named Chief Revenue Officer. His background includes marketing, ecommerce, business strategy, and organizational leadership.
Before joining Rio Grande, Arien worked at Sandia National Laboratories, where he gained experience in strategic planning and program development for high impact technology projects.
In addition to his leadership role, Arien serves on the boards of the Responsible Jewellery Council, Jewelers Vigilance Committee, Jewelers Board of Trade, and Jewelers for Children, where he supports responsible sourcing, ethical business practices, and broader industry advancement.
Arien holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of New Mexico and a Master of Business Administration from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. He resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Erin, and their four children.
Bio of Moss Makhoulian:
Moss Makhoulian has an extensive career spanning over three decades shaping product and brand strategies in the luxury sector. His broad responsibilities at the Richline Group include overseeing strategic product planning, budgeting, research and development, manufacturing, procurement, and operations. Prior to his time at Richline, he built his expertise through significant roles in the United States, Europe, and Asia with notable luxury goods and jewelry brands and manufacturers for Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels and others.
Moss earned his BA in economics from Queens College and his MBA from University of Oxford. He serves on various boards, but the Jewelers for Children Charity remains his favorite.
He is an active member of The Economic Club of New York, the Oxford Cambridge Club London, and is a lifetime member of the Oxford Union. He lives in New York with his wife Beatriz and their two children. He enjoys spending his free time with his children and pursuing his two favorite activities, diving and biking.
For more information on Richline Group, visit https://www.richlinegroup.com/.
About Richline Group
Richline Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, is a leading precious metals and materials manufacturer and marketer. We are a worldwide, vertically integrated presence throughout the precious materials supply chain. Divisions include Richline Jewelry, LeachGarner, Rio Grande, Inverness, Richline Digital, and Global Manufacturing.
