Leadership Team

Appointed as Chair: 12 July 2018

Appointed to the Board: 17 May 2018

Nationality: Irish

Committees: 
Nomination Committee (Chair)

Key Skills and experience

Gerry brings to the Board experience of managing business transformations and has substantial international and senior management experience. With his in-depth understanding of UK corporate governance requirements and his extensive experience in the retail sector, Gerry 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 Partners

• Mentor, J&A Mentoring

Previous Appointments

• Chair: Tate & Lyle plc, 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: 15 March 2022

Nationality: British

Key Skills and experience

Jonathan is an experienced leader with a strong track record of building luxury brands and driving profitable growth. He has extensive experience across the fashion and luxury goods sector, with a focus on brand and product elevation, strategic development, digital and global expansion. He shares our values and our ambition to build on Burberry’s unique British creative heritage, and his deep expertise and strong leadership will be pivotal in advancing the next phase of Burberry’s evolution.

Previous Appointments

• CEO of Gianni Versace SpA

• President and CEO of Alexander McQueen

• Harrods: various senior retail roles including Executive Merchandise Director and Director, Menswear, Sports and Childrenswear

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 that of Burberry 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 of McLaren Group Limited
• Group Chief Financial Officer of Talk Talk Telecom Group PLC
• Corporate Affairs Director of Carphone Warehouse 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 has strong UK plc and international business experience especially in the consumer and retail markets. She also brings to the Board significant strategic, financial and governance experience. Orna is a committed environmentalist and was Chair of the Soil Association (which campaigns for more environmentally-friendly food and farming) for six years. Her passion for the environment is an asset to Burberry as we continue to drive positive change and build a more sustainable future through our ongoing Environmental and Social Responsibility agenda.

Current Appointments

• Trustee, Institute for Fiscal Studies

• Trustee and Chair, The Eden Trust

Previous Appointments

• Senior Independent Director: Saga plc and Royal Mail

• Non-Executive Director: Bupa, HMV, Northern Foods and Bank of Ireland UK

• Interim Chair, The National Trust

• Chair, Founders Intelligence

• Partner, McKinsey & Company and co-lead of its European Retail Practice

Appointed: 10 March 2015

Nationality: American

Committees:
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and experience

Fabiola built and led a major division of Yahoo! Inc. and brings relevant international, strategic and operational experience in the internet and media sectors. Through her deep engagement at the World Wildlife Fund, Fabiola also has considerable experience overseeing sustainability initiatives. Her digital and consumer background, coupled with her extensive international Non-Executive Directorship experience, make Fabiola an important member of the Board.

 

 

 

 

Current Appointments

• Non-Executive Director: Campbell Soup Company and Fair Isaac Corporation

• National Council Member, World Wildlife Fund for Nature

• Member, Council on Foreign Relations

• Board Member, FINRA Board of Governors

• Managing Partner, Siempre Holdings

Previous Appointments

• Non-Executive Director: Experian plc, BOC Group plc (now Linde Group), Saks Incorporated (now Hudson’s Bay Company), Bankinter S.A., National Public Radio, Rodale Inc., Intelsat Inc., Sesame Workshop and the World Wildlife Fund UK and USA

• Senior Executive roles at Yahoo! Inc., the BBC and Bertelsmann AG

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. Alessandra is a highly experienced Chief Financial Officer having spent her career in a variety of finance roles encompassing financial management and control, accounting, tax, treasury, insurance as well as investor relations. Alessandra has substantial experience of luxury fashion, having spent over twenty years at the Italian luxury group, Prada. 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), previously Group Investor Relations Director and other financial management roles within Prada Group

Appointed: 1 November 2019

Nationality: Australian

Committees:
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and experience

Sam has a wealth of global leadership experience, including leading iconic heritage premium brands from across the lifestyle and consumer sectors. He has a strong track record in driving business growth and a deep understanding of key Asian markets, which is a tremendous asset to Burberry as we continue to engage our communities in the region with innovative products and culturally relevant experiences.

Current Appointments

• CEO, Lion Group

Previous Appointments

• Senior executive roles at Diageo plc, including President, Asia Pacific and Global Travel, Executive Committee member, Managing Director for Greater China and Managing Director for South East Asia

• Various commercial and general management roles at Colgate-Palmolive, including Managing Director for Central Europe

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 working at Saks, he was the instrumental driving force behind developing the company’s private-label collections. Ron’s wealth of fashion experience and his well-established merchandising skills will continue to play a pivotal role as Burberry continues to grow and 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 deep understanding of UK governance requirements make her a strong asset to our Board.

Current Appointments

• Chair, Direct Line Insurance Group PLC

• Non-Executive Director, Croda International plc

• Board member, Employ Autism Development

Previous Appointments

• Chair, 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 October 2019

Nationality: American

Committees:
Audit Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and eperience

Debra is one of the most influential female voices in the entertainment industry and has a deep understanding of the American consumer and culture. She is the former Chairman and CEO of Black Entertainment Television, which under her leadership became the largest global provider of entertainment for the African-American audience and consumers of black culture. Debra is a passionate advocate of women and people from ethnically-diverse backgrounds.

Current Appointments

• CEO and founder, Leading Women Defined, Inc.

• Non-Executive Director, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., Marriott International, Inc. and The Proctor & Gamble Company

Previous Appointments

• Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Black Entertainment Television LLC

• Non-Executive Director, Twitter, Inc. and AT&T Inc.

• Attorney, Steptoe & Johnson

Appointed: 1 January 2021

Nationality: French

Committees:
Audit Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills and experience

Antoine has a wealth of experience in the consumer sector, having led a number of global brands throughout his career. As CEO of Barry Callebaut, Antoine put sustainability at the heart of the company’s strategy, setting ambitious targets that addressed the most pertinent challenges in the chocolate supply chain. His strong understanding of sustainability and of the consumer market makes him a valued asset to our Board as we continue to focus on positively impacting the environment and our communities.

Current Appointments

• CEO and Director, Danone

• Non-Executive Director, Barry Callebaut

Previous Appointments

• CEO, Barry Callebaut

• President, Unilever Foods and member of the Group Executive Committee at Unilever plc

• Non-Executive Director, Essilor International

Appointed: 1 September 2022

Nationality: British

Committees:

Audit Committee (Chair)
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee

Key Skills and experience

Alan has a wealth of 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 nonexecutive directors committed to achieving net-zero targets, and was a founding member of the Accounting 4 Sustainability CFO network. His keen interest in sustainability is important to the Board in driving forward Burberry’s climate change strategy. Alan qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte.

Current Appointments

• Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee, Diageo plc

• Non-Executive Director and Chair of Remuneration Committee, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc

Previous Appointments

• 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

Current Appointment

• Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute and has more than 25 years’ company secretarial experience

• Member of the Chartered Governance Institute’s Company Secretaries’ Forum and of the Association of General Counsel and Company Secretaries of FTSE 100 companies

Previous Appointments

• Company Secretary of The Berkeley Group Holdings plc

• Deputy Company Secretary of Smith & Nephew plc

• Deputy Company Secretary of TSB Banking Group plc