NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2026--
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry, the brand built on the belief that excellence and ethics are inseparable, announced the appointment of Morgan P. Richardson as its Chief Executive Officer. The appointment marks a significant milestone for the brand with a clear and deliberate point of view in the luxury jewelry space.
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Founded in 2024 by Savannah Friedkin, the eponymous brand was born out of a deeply personal conviction: that fine jewelry could celebrate each woman's individuality without compromise - in craft, in provenance, and in purpose. Each piece is held to exacting standards of quality and integrity. The collection is concise, conceptually layered, and rich with dual meaning. Friedkin's sculptural statement pieces are both refined and raw, delicate yet defiant.
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry is the next generation of innovation from The Friedkin Group, the privately held family enterprise whose portfolio includes Auberge Collection, Everton FC, AS Roma, Imperative Entertainment, 30WEST, and NEON among others - brands united by uncompromising quality and an unwavering focus on the customer.
Richardson brings an exceptional depth of luxury merchandising and consumer expertise to Savannah Friedkin Jewelry. She most recently served as President and Chief Commercial Officer at Stephanie Gottlieb. Prior to that, she served as President of the Americas at La Perla, leading a successful restructuring of the U.S. entity. She held previous senior executive leadership roles at Oscar de la Renta, Barney's and Bloomingdales following her undergraduate studies at Harvard University.
"I'm joining with a tremendous optimism about the future. The clarity and strength of Savannah's distinct point of view, combined with her designs - which achieve an unmistakable balance of boldness and elegance - are what drew me to this role," said Richardson. "I feel incredibly energized by this opportunity to build on the success of a house with true originality in today's luxury landscape."
Owning the commercial, operational and financial architecture of the business, Richardson will work in close partnership with Friedkin to protect the integrity of her original creative vision while driving global growth.
"Finding the right person to lead Savannah Friedkin Jewelry meant finding someone who sees what I see: that you can make something truly beautiful and hold it to an uncompromising ethical standard - without sacrificing quality," said Savannah Friedkin, Founder and Chief Creative Officer. "Morgan embraces that instinctively, and I am excited to build something together that reflects that belief."
Currently available online and through its exclusive boutique in Aspen, the brand is actively building out its New York-based executive team ahead of a planned international expansion.
About Savannah Friedkin Jewelry
Founded by Savannah Friedkin in 2024, the eponymous Savannah Friedkin Jewelry is a fine jewelry brand dedicated to creating timeless, modern heirlooms that celebrate individuality, sustainable craftsmanship, and everyday luxury. Designed with elevated simplicity and enduring quality in mind, the brand blends its contemporary aesthetic with meticulous attention to detail, as well as a focus on sustainability. Built on the belief that excellence and ethics are inseparable, the brand uses responsibly sourced materials - including 100% recycled gold in their jewelry, lab grown diamonds, and climate neutral processes across packaging, manufacturing, and more - without sacrificing quality. The ultimate in blending style and sustainability, Savannah Friedkin Jewelry is the ideal fine jewelry brand for today's elevated, modern, and environmentally conscious tastemakers.
To learn more, please visit www.savannahfriedkin.com and follow @ savfriedkin.
About The Friedkin Group
The Friedkin Group is a privately held family of global brands spanning automotive, entertainment, hospitality, investments, and sports. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company is led by Chief Executive Dan Friedkin, and united by a mission to build breakthrough brands that redefine the status quo.
The Friedkin portfolio includes Gulf States Toyota, 30WEST, Accelerated Solutions Group, AS Roma, Ascent Automotive Group, Auberge Collection, Congaree, Copilot Capital, Diamond Creek, Everton Football Club, GSFSGroup, Imperative Entertainment, Legendary Expeditions, NEON, Northside Lexus, Pursuit Sports, The Friedkin Group International, USAL and Westside Lexus.
For more information, please visit www.friedkin.com.
Morgan P. Richardson - CEO, Savannah Friedkin Jewelry
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Congo will open three treatment centers for the Ebola virus in the eastern Ituri province following an outbreak of a variant that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines, as the World Health Organization sent a team of experts and supplies to help combat the spread of the disease.
“We know that the hospitals are already under stress because of the patients,” Samuel Roger Kamba, the Congolese health minister, said during a visit to Bunia, Ituri's capital and largest city, on Sunday. "But we are preparing to have treatment centers at all three sites in order to be able to expand our capabilities.”
The WHO declared the Ebola disease outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths in Congo and two in neighboring Uganda. Although the outbreak is centered in Congo's Ituri, cases have been reported in the capital, Kinshasa, and in Goma, the largest city in the country’s east.
The international health organization warned Monday that the virus is affecting people in conflict-affected areas in Congo, posing an additional risk to health workers.
CBS News reported on Sunday that at least six Americans have been exposed to the Ebola virus in Congo, citing anonymous sources in international aid organizations. The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify this information.
U.S. health officials said Sunday the risk to Americans was low, but did not directly answer questions about whether any Americans may have been exposed to the Ebola virus in Africa.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued travel advisories on Friday, urging Americans traveling in Congo and Uganda to avoid people who have symptoms like fever, muscle pain and rash. The CDC also said it is “putting in appropriate measures for identifying individuals with any symptoms” at ports of entry.
Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it causes is rare, but severe and often fatal.
Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no authorized vaccines or treatments. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda since 1976, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected.
The U.S. CDC says the Bundibugyo virus causes fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
Dr. Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health who has been involved in past Ebola outbreak responses in Congo, said treatments for viral infections like Ebola are often directed at symptoms.
He said Congo has extensive experience managing Ebola outbreaks, but response efforts could be complicated by the unusual strain.
The Bundibugyo virus was first detected in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district during a 2007-2008 outbreak that infected 149 people and killed 37. The second time was in 2012, in an outbreak in Isiro, Congo, where 57 cases and 29 deaths were reported.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa wrote Sunday on X that a team of 35 experts from the WHO arrived in Bunia, along with 7 tons of emergency medical supplies and equipment.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the first cases were reported in Mongwalu health zone, a high-traffic mining area in Ituri.
Ituri is in a remote eastern part of Congo, with poor road networks, and is more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the nation’s capital, Kinshasa. Eastern Congo has been grappling with a humanitarian crisis even before the new outbreak was confirmed.
The agency said there’s also a risk of further spread due to intense population movement and attacks by armed groups that have killed dozens and displaced thousands in parts of Ituri in the past year.
“The outbreak is currently occurring in provinces marred by crisis, including insecurity, presence of armed actors or de facto authorities with large displacement, weak health systems and insufficient availability of services,” the WHO said on Monday. It added that since January 2025, there have been 44 attacks on health care facilities in Congo and 742 incidents affecting humanitarian workers.
The WHO’s emergency declaration is meant to spur donor agencies and countries into action. By the agency's standards, it shows the event is serious, there is a risk of international spread and it requires a coordinated international response.
Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa CDC, told Sky News on Sunday that he is in “panic mode” due to a lack of medicines and vaccines as deaths rise, but that some candidate treatments were anticipated in the coming weeks.
Rwanda closed its land border with Congo on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said on social media. AP reporters tried to cross the border on Sunday and Monday morning, but were informed it was closed except for holders of international flight tickets. Rwandan authorities have not replied to a request for comment.
The East African Community, a regional bloc that includes Congo, said Monday that the new Ebola outbreak underscores the importance of regional solidarity and preparedness. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, the bloc's deputy secretary-general, said that given the high level of movement of people and goods across the region, coordinated preparedness and rapid information sharing are essential to preventing cross-border transmission.
He added in a statement that the bloc is committed to helping its members strengthen surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and control and other efforts, particularly in border areas.
A woman wearing a protective mask sells fruit from a roadside stall in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
People wash their hands at the entrance to a hospital in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/ Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
A general view is seen of Bunia where ebola outbreaks have been confirmed in Ituri province, Congo, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/ Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
A woman wearing a protective mask stands in the corridor of a hospital in Bunia, Congo, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/ Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne)
