MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Appointed: 17 May 2018

Nationality: Irish

Committees: 
Nomination Committee (Chair)

Key Skills

Gerry brings to the Board experience of managing business transformations and has substantial international business 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.

Experience

Gerry joined the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate on 17 May 2018 and was appointed as Chair on 12 July 2018. He is also Chair of Tate & Lyle plc. Gerry previously served as Chair of The Blackstone Group International from 2009 to 2019 and was a partner in the firm’s private equity investment unit from 2008 to 2017. Gerry has held Chief Executive roles at Kingfisher plc, Carlton Communications plc (now ITV), Exel plc and Greencore Group plc. He spent his early career with Grand Metropolitan plc (now Diageo plc) and also served as a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of British American Tobacco plc; Merlin Entertainments plc; Reckitt Benckiser plc; Abbey National plc and Novar plc. Gerry is also a Trustee of The Burberry Foundation.

Appointed: 15 March 2022

Nationality: British

Key Skills

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 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.

Experience
Prior to joining Burberry on 15 March 2022, Jonathan was Chief Executive of Gianni Versace SpA where he reorganised and accelerated growth at the Italian fashion house, building on the brand’s rich heritage to elevate product, communications and the customer experience. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Alexander McQueen (2004-2016) he led a turnaround of the British luxury brand, successfully steering the company’s growth and strategic development into a luxury powerhouse. Jonathan’s early career was spent at Harrods (1988– 2004) where he gained a strong understanding of luxury retail, brands and products. 

Appointed: 18 January 2017

Nationality: British

Key Skills

Julie has spent more than eight years in Chief Financial Officer positions in the FTSE 100 and has a strong track record of leading change and delivering sustainable, long-term value for shareholders. Her extensive experience in financial, commercial and strategic roles and leading major transformational programmes continues to be highly relevant to Burberry in the next phase of our strategy. Julie is committed to implementing initiatives that support our sustainability goals and is a passionate champion of diversity and women in business.

Experience

Prior to joining Burberry Julie was Group CFO of Smith & Nephew (2013-2017). Prior to this, she was Interim Group CFO of AstraZeneca where she also held a number of positions covering Group and Business Finance, Strategy and Commercial positions, including Regional and Country President. From 2016 to September 2022, Julie served as a Non-Executive Director and Audit Chair of Roche Holding Limited.  She is a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Council, the Mayor of London's Business Advisory Board and the 100 Group Main Committee. Julie is also co-Chair of The Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project’s CFO Leadership Network and Patron of Oxford University Women in Business. She qualified with KPMG and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountancy and a Chartered Tax Advisor.

Appointed: 3 January 2018

Nationality: Irish

Committees:
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills

Orna has strong UK plc and international business experience, especially in the consumer and retail markets. She also brings to the Board significant financial, strategic 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 Responsibility agenda.

Experience

Orna is a Trustee of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and until September 2022 was Senior Independent Director at Saga plc. She has also served on the Boards of Royal Mail, Bupa, HMV, Northern Foods and Bank of Ireland UK. Orna's previous appointments also include interim Chair of the National Trust and Chair of digital innovation consultancy, Founders Intelligence. Orna began her career at McKinsey & Company, where she became the first female Partner in the London office, co-leading its European Retail Practice.

Appointed: 10 March 2015

Nationality: American

Committees:
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills

Fabiola built and led a major division of Yahoo! Inc. and brings directly 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 of 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.

Experience

Fabiola is Managing Partner of Siempre Holdings, a private investment firm based in the USA. She is a Non-Executive Director of Campbell Soup Company and Fair Isaac Corporation, which are both listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Fabiola is also a National Council Member of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has previously served as a Non-Executive Director at FTSE 100 companies Experian plc and BOC Group plc (now Linde Group), Saks Incorporated (now Hudson’s Bay Company) and Ibex 35 company Bankinter S.A. She has also held Non-Executive Directorships at National Public Radio, Rodale Inc., Intelsat Inc., Sesame Workshop and the World Wildlife Fund UK and USA. Fabiola also held senior operating roles at Yahoo! Inc., the BBC and Bertelsmann AG.

Appointed: 1 September 2017

Nationality: American

Committees: 
Audit Committee
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills

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.

Experience

Ron is currently CEO of Ron Frasch Associates LLC and a Non-Executive Director of Crocs, Inc. and Aztech Mountain. He was a Non-Executive Director of MacKenzie Childs from 2014 until September 2022. Between 2004 to 2007, Ron served as Vice Chairman of Saks Fifth Avenue Inc. and from 2007 to 2013 he was President, with responsibility for fashion buying, merchandise planning, store planning, stores, and visual. Prior to Saks, Ron spent four years as President and CEO of Bergdorf Goodman. He has also served as President of the Americas for an Italian licensing company of luxury fashion brands.

Appointed: 1 September 2013

Nationality: British

Committees:
Audit Committee (Chair)
Remuneration Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills

Matthew has significant strategic, regulatory and operational experience in the e-commerce and technology sectors. He brings a wealth of experience of managing dynamic and fast-moving international companies and has an extensive understanding of the consumer market. Matthew is a qualified chartered accountant and his deep financial knowledge and expertise are important to the Board, as reflected in his appointment as Chair of the Audit Committee.

Experience

Matthew is a Non-Executive Director of BT Group plc, is Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee and a member of BT’s Nominations and Remuneration Committees. He was a member of the advisory Board of Samsung Europe between 2015 and 2017 and from 2007 to 2014, he held various positions at Telefonica, including Chair and CEO of Telefonica Europe plc and Chair and CEO of Telefonica Digital, the global innovation arm of Telefonica. Matthew qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Young (now EY). In his early career, he held various financial positions at Grand Metropolitan plc (now part of Diageo plc), Kingfisher plc, Coca-Cola and Schweppes.

Appointed: 1 December 2021

Nationality: British

Committees:
Remuneration Committee (Chair)
Nomination Committee

Key Skills

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 makes her a strong asset to our Board.

Experience

Danuta is currently Chair of Direct Line Insurance Group, Chair of the Board of North SP Limited and is a member of the Employ Autism Development Board. Her previous appointments include Chair of St Modwen Property plc and Senior Independent Director of Aldermore Bank plc. She has also served on the Boards of Old Mutual plc, Page Group plc, Paddy Power plc and Aer Lingus plc and as a Non-Executive member of the Board at the UK Ministry of Defence. Danuta’s executive career includes spending nine years as CEO of Telefónica O2 in Ireland and as an Executive Director of Telefónica Europe plc.

Appointed: 1 November 2019

Nationality: Australian

Committees:
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee

Key Skills

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.

Experience

Sam is currently President, Asia Pacific and Global Travel, Diageo plc and is a member of its Global Executive Committee. Since joining Diageo in 2007, Sam has held several senior roles, including Managing Director of Greater China and Managing Director for South East Asia. Prior to joining Diageo, Sam held a number of commercial and general management roles at Colgate-Palmolive between 1991 to 2006, culminating in a role as Managing Director of Central Europe. He will be joining Lion Group as CEO in July 2022.

Appointed: 1 January 2021

Nationality: French

Committees:
Audit Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills

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.

Experience

Antoine is currently CEO and a Director of Danone, a world leading food and drink company, which is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange and is included in the CAC 40 stock market index. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Barry Callebaut having previously served as CEO from October 2015 to September 2021. From 2000 to 2015, Antoine held a number of senior executive positions at Unilever plc, including as President of Unilever Foods and member of Unilever’s Group Executive Committee from September 2011 to September 2015. From 2009 to 2020, he served as a Non- Executive Director of Essilor International, which prior to its merger with Luxottica Group Spa, was listed on Euronext Paris and included in the CAC 40 index.

Appointed: 1 September 2022

Nationality: British

Committees:
Audit Committee
Nomination Committee

Key Skills:

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 non-executive 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.

Experience:

Alan is a Non-Executive Director on the boards of Diageo plc and Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, where he chairs the Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee respectively. Prior to this, he was a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of Games Workshop Group from 1996 to 2009. In his executive career, Alan was the Chief Financial Officer of Tesco PLC from 2014 to 2021 and of Marks & Spencer PLC from 2010 to 2014. Alan trained as a chartered accountant with Deloitte in South Africa before moving to the UK.

Appointed: 1 October 2018

Experience

Gemma is a fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute and has more than twenty-five years’ company secretarial experience. Her previous roles include Company Secretary of The Berkeley Group Holdings plc, Deputy Company Secretary at TSB Banking Group plc and Deputy Company Secretary of Smith & Nephew plc. She is a member of the Chartered Governance Institute’s Company Secretaries’ Forum and of the Association of General Counsel and Company Secretaries of FTSE 100 companies.