Burberry ropes in Versace CEO to be its next chief
By Josh White
Date: Wednesday 20 Oct 2021
(Sharecast News) - Burberry announced the appointment of Jonathan Akeroyd as its chief executive officer and executive director on Wednesday, effective 1 April.
The FTSE 100 company said Akeroyd was currently CEO of Milan-based Gianni Versace, a position he has held since June 2016.
In his time at Versace, Jonathan had reorganised and accelerated growth at the iconic Italian fashion house, building on the brand's rich creative heritage to elevate product, communications and the customer experience.
"I am delighted that Jonathan Akeroyd will be joining Burberry as our next chief executive officer," said chair Gerry Murphy.
"Jonathan is an experienced leader with a strong track record in building global luxury fashion brands and driving profitable growth.
He shares our values and our ambition to build on Burberry's unique British creative heritage and his deep luxury and fashion industry expertise will be key to advancing the next phase of Burberry's evolution."
Akeroyd was previously CEO of Alexander McQueen from 2004 to 2016, during which time he led a turnaround of the British luxury brand and laid the foundation for global expansion.
He also previously held a number of senior fashion roles at London-based luxury department store Harrods.
Jonathan Akeroyd would join Burberry on 1 April, and would report to Gerry Murphy and the board of directors.
"I have long admired Burberry's position as the most iconic British luxury brand and I have a deep affection for its storied heritage," Jonathan Akeroyd said.
"I am looking forward to returning to London where I first built my career in the luxury industry to join a talented team with ambitious plans for the future and a strong platform to accelerate growth."
Akeroyd was succeeding Marco Gobbetti as Burberry CEO, who was stepping down on 31 December.
At 0940 BST, shares in Burberry Group were up 0.14% at 1,831.65.
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