Leadership Team

Appointed as Chair: 12 July 2018

Appointed to the Board: 17 May 2018

Nationality:  Irish/British

Committees: 
Nomination Committee (Chair)

Key Skills and experience

Gerry brings substantial international and senior management experience to the Board, in addition to in-depth knowledge of managing business transformations. His understanding of UK corporate governance requirements and extensive experience in the retail sector provides the Board with highly relevant and valuable leadership as Burberry continues to focus on delivering long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

Current Appointments

• Chair, Tesco plc
• Trustee, The Burberry Foundation
• Senior Advisor, Perella Weinberg
• Mentor, J&A Mentoring

Previous Appointments

• Chair: Tate & Lyle plc and The Blackstone Group International (and partner in the firm’s private equity investment unit)
• Non-Executive Director: British American Tobacco plc, Merlin Entertainments plc, Reckitt Benckiser plc, Abbey National plc and Novar plc
• CEO: Kingfisher plc, Carlton Communications plc (now ITV), Exel plc and Greencore Group plc

Appointed: 17 July 2024

Nationality: American

Key skills and experience:

Joshua is an accomplished Chief Executive Officer who has held a number of CEO and senior executive roles at global luxury, fashion, and retail businesses. His extensive retail industry experience spans over 30 years across merchandising, wholesale and brand management in the US, Europe and Asia, with a strong track record of delivering brand transformations and driving growth globally. Joshua shares the Board’s ambition to build on Burberry’s unique British heritage to deliver growth and unlock the brand’s full potential.

Current appointments

• Trustee and Director of the Elton John AIDS Foundation

Previous appointments

• CEO: Michael Kors, Coach, Jimmy Choo
• President: Bergdorf Goodman & NMG International
• Non-Executive Director: Farrow & Ball
• Senior executive roles: Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci

Appointed: 17 July 2023

Nationality: British

Key skills and experience:

Kate is a highly experienced Chief Financial Officer, having held roles in both public and private companies. In addition to her financial acumen, Kate has extensive experience driving business transformation and strategic development, and a deep understanding of public markets. She has particular expertise in the retail sector, as well as an excellent understanding of the luxury industry. In her early career, Kate was involved in numerous IPOs, including Burberry’s in 2002. Kate is a Chartered Accountant.

Current appointments:

• Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee, Greggs plc
• Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee, British Olympic Foundation

Previous appointments

• Chief Financial Officer, McLaren Group Limited
• Group Chief Financial Officer, Talk Talk Telecom Group PLC
• Corporate Affairs Director, DixonsCarphone PLC
• Director within the retail sector equity research team at Merrill Lynch

Appointed: 3 January 2018

Nationality: Irish

Committees:
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and experience

Orna is a highly experienced Non-Executive Director and brings extensive international business knowledge, particularly in the consumer and retail sectors. She has a passion for sustainability as demonstrated through her role as Chair of The Eden Trust.

Having co-led the European Retail Practice at McKinsey & Company and subsequently held a number of advisory roles across retail and luxury goods businesses, she has a deep understanding of retail strategy, transformations and operating efficiency.

Current Appointments

• Trustee and Deputy Chair, Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Trustee and Chair, The Eden Trust

Previous Appointments

• Senior Independent Director: Saga, Bupa, HMV, Northern Foods and Royal Mail
• Non-Executive Director, Bank of Ireland UK
• Interim Chair, The National Trust
• Chair, Founders Intelligence
• Partner, McKinsey & Company and co-lead of its European Retail Practice

Appointed: 1 September 2023

Nationality: Italian

Committees:
Audit Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and experience

Alessandra brings to Burberry both financial expertise and a profound understanding of the luxury market, having spent over 20 years at Prada Group. A highly experienced Chief Financial Officer, Alessandra’s career spans a variety of finance roles, including financial management and control, accounting, tax, treasury and insurance, as well as investor relations. She started her career as an auditor at Coopers & Lybrand.

Current Appointments

•  Executive Director, Esselunga SpA (Italian grocer)

Previous Appointments

• Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Prada SpA (listed in Hong Kong S.A.R., China), previously Group Investor Relations Director and other financial management roles within Prada Group

Appointed: 1 September 2017

Nationality: American

Committees:
Audit Committee
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and experience

Ron has spent over 30 years working in the retail industry. He has clear strategic acumen, strong leadership skills and wide-ranging experience of working with luxury fashion brands. While at Saks, he was instrumental in developing the company’s private-label collections. Ron’s merchandising skills and experience within the fashion industry will continue to play a pivotal role as we strengthen our performance in the luxury fashion market.

Current Appointments

• CEO, Ron Frasch Associates LLC
• Non-Executive Director, Crocs Inc.

Previous Appointments

• Non-Executive Director: MacKenzie Childs and Aztech Mountain
• President and Vice Chairman, Saks Fifth Avenue Inc.
• President and CEO, Bergdorf Goodman
• President of the Americas for an Italian licensing company of luxury fashion brands

Appointed: 1 December 2021

Nationality: British

Committees:
Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Nomination Committee
Audit Committee

Key Skills and experience

Danuta is a highly experienced Non-Executive Director and Chair with a strong understanding of consumers, technology, sales and marketing within the UK and international business markets gained through her executive career. Her extensive UK plc board experience and understanding of UK governance requirements make her a strong asset to our Board.

Current Appointments

• Chair, Croda International plc
• Board member, Employ Autism Development
• Trustee, The Resolution Foundation

Previous Appointments

• Chair: Direct Line Insurance Group plc and St Modwen Property plc
• Senior Independent Director, Aldermore Bank plc
• Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee Chair: Old Mutual plc and Page Group plc
• Non-Executive Director: Paddy Power plc, Aer Lingus plc and UK Ministry of Defence
• CEO: Telefónica O2 and Executive Director, Telefónica Europe plc

Appointed: 1 April 2025

Nationality: Italian

Committees:
Nomination Committee

Key skills and experience:

Stella brings a wealth of luxury industry experience and a deep understanding of Asian consumers, having worked in the Asia Pacific region for more than 30 years. As Chief Chinese Business Officer for Moncler, Stella was responsible for developing strategies to meet the needs of Chinese consumers all over the world. Prior to this role, Stella was President, Asia Pacific for Moncler where she played a pivotal role in driving growth in the region.

Current appointments

• Senior Advisor, Fountainvest Advisor Limited

Previous appointments

• Chief Chinese Business Officer, Moncler
• President Asia Pacific, Moncler
• President Asia Pacific, Sergio Rossi
• Non-Executive Director, Stone Island (part of the Moncler Group)

Appointed: 1 September 2022

Nationality: British

Committees:

Audit Committee (Chair)
Nomination Comittee
Remuneration Committee

Key Skills and experience

Alan has extensive corporate finance and accounting experience gained from a variety of industries, including retail and leisure. He has considerable executive leadership experience, including various Chief Financial Officer positions within top FTSE organisations. Alan is currently a member of Chapter Zero, a community of non-executive directors committed to achieving net zero targets, and was a founding member of the Accounting For Sustainability CFO network. His keen interest in sustainability is important to the Board in driving Burberry’s climate change strategy. Alan qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte.

Current Appointments

• Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit & Risk Committee, Haleon plc

Previous Appointments

• Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee, Diageo plc
• Non-Executive Director and Chair of Remuneration Committee, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc
• Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair, Games Workshop Group
• Chief Financial Officer, Tesco PLC
• Chief Financial Officer, Marks & Spencer PLC

Appointed: 1 October 2018

Nationality: British

Gemma is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute and has 30 years’ company secretarial experience. She is a member of the Chartered Governance Institute’s Company Secretaries’ Forum and of the Association of General Counsel and Company Secretaries of the FTSE 100 (GC100).

Previous Appointments

• Company Secretary, The Berkeley Group Holdings plc
• Deputy Company Secretary, Smith & Nephew plc
• Deputy Company Secretary, TSB Banking Group plc