Angela Jean Ahrendts, DBE (born June 7, 1960) is an American businesswoman who was previously the senior vice president of retail at

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...

She was the CEO of

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessorie ...

from 2006 to 2014. Ahrendts left Burberry to join Apple in 2014. Ahrendts was ranked 25th in Forbes' 2015 list of the most powerful women in the world, 9th most powerful woman in the U.K. in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

Woman's Hour 100 Power List, and 29th in '' Fortune''s 2014 list of the world's most powerful women in business. She was also a member of the UK's Prime Minister's business advisory council until it was disbanded in 2016.

Early life

Ahrendts was born and raised in New Palestine, Indiana, the third of six children. Her father, Richard Ahrendts, was a businessman, and her mother, Jean, was a homemaker. She attended New Palestine High School, where she was a varsity cheerleader. In 1981, she earned an undergraduate degree in Merchandising and Marketing from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

Career

Ahrendts moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to work in the fashion industry. After a series of positions including merchandising at

bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appea ...

maker Warnaco, Ahrendts joined

Donna Karan Donna Karan (, born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as "DK", is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life Karan was born Donna Ivy Faske to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabin ...

International in 1989, working to develop the luxury brand internationally through both wholesale and licensing. In 1996 she was hired at Henri Bendel by

Leslie Wexner Leslie Herbert Wexner (born September 8, 1937) is an American billionaire businessman, the founder and chairman emeritus of Bath & Body Works, Inc. (formerly Limited Brands). Wexner grew a business empire after starting The Limited, a clothing re ...

to expand Bendel stores to 50 new markets, but the project was cancelled by the board of directors two years later. In 1998, she joined Fifth & Pacific Companies as vice president of corporate merchandising and design. In 2001, she was promoted to senior vice president of corporate merchandising and group president, responsible for the merchandising of the group's 20 plus brands including Laundry by Shelli Segal, Lucky Brand Dungarees and the men's retail business of Liz Claiborne Inc. In 2002, she was promoted again to serve as executive vice president, with full responsibility for the complete line of Liz Claiborne products, services and development across both women's and men's lines.

Burberry

Ahrendts joined Burberry in January 2006, and took up the position of CEO on July 1, 2006, replacing Rose Marie Bravo. Ahrendts mitigated the brand's decline in prestige by immediately limiting the number of clothing and accessories carrying the Burberry check pattern to 10%, minimizing the damage ubiquitous counterfeits had caused to sales. She also oversaw the buying back of the brand's fragrance and beauty product licenses and the buying out of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

franchise which was then generating 20% of group revenues to stop its unfettered licensing. Ahrendts says she did not model her approach after any other fashion house, but looked to world-class design as an influence, including

The company value rose during her tenure from £2 billion to over £7 billion. CNN Money reported that during 2012, she was the highest-paid CEO in the U.K., making $26.3 million.

Apple

On October 15, 2013, it was announced that Ahrendts would leave Burberry in Spring 2014 to join

as a member of its executive team as senior vice president of retail and online stores, filling the spot vacated by

John Browett John Browett (born 1963) is a British businessman. Between January 2016 and August 2017 he was chief executive of the Dunelm Group. From March 2013 to February 2015, he was chief executive of the British clothing retailer Monsoon Accessorize, a ...

in October 2012. On May 1, 2014,

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

's new SVP of Retail and Online Stores Angela Ahrendts was placed on the Apple Leadership roster, signaling her official entry into the company. According to Apple's 2015 Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Ahrendts earned over $70 million in 2014, more than any other executive at Apple, including CEO

Tim Cook Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who has been the chief executive officer of Apple Inc. since 2011. Cook previously served as the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs ...

. As of August 2016, she is reported to own approximately US$11 million worth of Apple shares. On February 5, 2019, Apple announced that Ahrendts would be leaving in April to be replaced by Deirdre O'Brien.

Board memberships

Ahrendts is a non-executive board member o
Save the Children

Ralph Lauren Corporation Ralph Lauren Corporation is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. The company is headquartered in New York City, producing products ranging from the mid-range to the luxur ...

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...

and Charity: Water. As of July 1, 2020, she is also a non-executive member of the board of

WPP plc WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It was the world's largest advertising company, as of 2019. WPP plc owns many compan ...

, considered the world's largest advertising company.

Awards and memberships

* 2000: ''Crain's New York'' Rising Stars 40 under 40 * 2010: Awarded honorary

doctorate of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

from Ball State. * 2010–present: Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, Member * 2010:

CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...

European Business Leader of the Future * 2010: Oracle World Retail Awards, Outstanding Leadership Award * 2011: St George's Society of New York, Medal of Honor * 2011 (also 2010): ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

'' Top 50 Women in World Business * 2011: Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Honorary Fellow * 2013: Business of Fashion BoF 500 * 2013
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
a DBE for services to British business * 2013 (also 2010, 2011): '' Fortune''s Businesspeople of the Year (2010, 2011, 2013) * 2013: Ranked #4 in '' Fortune''s 2013 top people in business * 2013: ''Financial Times'' Women of 2013 * 2013 (also 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012): ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' 100 Most Powerful Women in the World * 2013: 9th most powerful woman in the United Kingdom by

Woman's Hour ''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946. History Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...

* 2014: ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'' Most Creative People in Business * 2014 (also 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013): '' Fortune''s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business

Personal life

Ahrendts met her husband Gregg Couch in elementary school. They married in their 30s after a 17-year long-distance relationship. The couple has three children. When Ahrendts was working at

, the family lived in a home on an plot west of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Brought up a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

, she is still an active Christian.

References

External links

Angela Ahrendts
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Angela Ahrendts
Video produced by '' Makers: Women Who Make America'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahrendts, Angela 1960 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen American businesspeople in retailing American chief executives of fashion industry companies American expatriates in England Methodists from Indiana American women chief executives Apple Inc. executives Ball State University alumni People from New Palestine, Indiana Honorary Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Women corporate executives Burberry people