Angela Ahrendts DBE
Former Senior Vice President, Apple Retail, Apple Inc.
Former Chief Executive Officer, Burberry Group PLC
Board of Directors, Ralph Lauren Corporation
Board of Directors, Airbnb Inc.
Board of Directors, WPP plc
Senior Operating Adviser, SKKY Partners
Chair of the Board, Save the Children International
Board of Directors, charity:water
Member, Paul Polman’s Imagine CEO Circle
Angela Ahrendts DBE was most recently Senior Vice President, Apple Retail based in Cupertino, CA. During her five years, she integrated Apple’s physical and digital businesses to create a seamless customer journey for over a billion visitors a year. Under her leadership she redesigned the stores, recrafted the roles for 70,000 employees globally, and reimagined the retail experience with the launch of a transformative educational program focused on coding, music creation and the arts.
Prior to Apple, Angela was Chief Executive Officer of Burberry Group plc for nearly nine years in London. She led the 150 year old British fashion house through a period of phenomenal global growth repositioning Burberry as a global luxury brand. Her unique leadership style and focus on culture, values and purpose resulted in tripling the business and quadrupling the share price. During her tenure, she was a member of the UK’s Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council, and named Honorary Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Prior to Burberry, Angela spent 25 years in New York serving as Executive Vice President, LCI Inc., where she oversaw the acquisition and integration of over 25 brands. For nearly eight years preceding, President, Donna Karan International at the height of their global expansion and IPO.
Angela is currently on the Board of Ralph Lauren Corporation., Airbnb, Inc., WPP plc, and is Senior Operating Adviser, SKKY Partners. She is also on the non-profit Boards of charity: water, The HOW Institute for Society; and a member of Paul Polman’s Imagine CEO Circle. In January 2021 she became Chair of the Board, Save the Children International. Angela is also a member of the Global Leadership Council of the Oxford University Saïd Business School and the BritishAmerican Business Advisory Board.
Angela has consistently been recognized by Forbes, Fortune and the BBC as a Top 100 Global Executive. In 2010, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and Bachelor of Arts from her alma mater, Ball State University. In 2019, Angela was honored with an Indiana Living Legends award.
Angela was the inspiration behind The HOW Institute’s Human Connection in the Virtual Workplace report and her collaboration with Dov Seidman, founder of The HOW Institute, for Fortune explores why human connection is key to successful leadership.