Yana Peel (born June 1974) is a Canadian executive, businesswoman, children's author and philanthropist who is currently global head of arts and culture at

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chane ...

.Bailey, Sarah. "In Conversation: Art and Fashion Are Both About Desire", '' Red'', London, 1 November 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. She was CEO of the

Serpentine Galleries The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery ...

from 2016 to 2019, and was previously a board member.McElvoy, Anne. "In The Hot Seat", ''

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

'', London, 1 December 2016. Peel is a co-founder of the

Outset Contemporary Art Fund Outset Contemporary Art Fund is an arts charity established in 2003, and based in London, England. The charity was the first organisation to utilise cross-institution collective patronage to fund artistic projects in the UK. It has raised over £ ...

(with Candida Gertler), and

Intelligence Squared Intelligence Squared is a media company that organizes live debates and other cultural events around the world. It was founded in 2002 in London, where its head office is based, and has affiliates in the US, Australia, and Hong Kong. The debat ...

Asia, and was CEO of Intelligence Squared Group from 2013 to 2016. Peel has several advisory positions including the

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

International Council, V-A-C Foundation, and the

NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...

therapeutic board."Serpentine Galleries Announce Appointment of Outset’s Yana Peel As CEO"
'' ArtLyst'', 13 April 2016. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. She has been an advisor to the

British Fashion Council The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual womenswear and menswear showcases, London Fashi ...

Asia Art Archive Asia Art Archive (AAA) is a nonprofit organisation based in Hong Kong which focuses on documenting the recent history of contemporary art in Asia within an international context. AAA incorporates material that members of local art communities ...

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

Para Site Para Site () is an independent, non-profit art space based in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1996 by artists Patrick Lee, Leung Chi-wo, Phoebe Man Ching-ying, Sara Wong Chi-hang, Leung Mee-ping, Tsang Tak-ping and Lisa Cheung. It produces exhi ...

and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, where she founded the design fund."The Design Fund"
''

'', Retrieved on 19 February 2018.

Early life

Yana Peel was born in June 1974 in Leningrad (now

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

), Russia. Her family emigrated to Canada via Austria in 1978. She grew up in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

.Solel, Hannah
"Liquid Lunch: Yana Peel on the Serpentine’s next phase"
''

Spear's ''Spear's'' (formerly known as ''Spear's WMS'' or ''Spear's Wealth Management Survey''), founded in 2006 by William Cash, is a bimonthly British magazine for high-net-worth individuals and those in the financial service industries. It has been c ...

'', 30 January 2018. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. Peel studied Russian studies at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

during the 1990s. In 1996, while being a student she co-organised a fashion show for charity. After that, Peel undertook a post-graduate degree in economics at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

. Peel was a member of the 2011 class of the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

Young Global Leaders Forum of Young Global Leaders, or Young Global Leaders (YGL), was created by Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. The YGL, a non-profit organization managed from Geneva, Switzerland, is under the supervision of the Swiss governme ...

programme.

Career

Goldman Sachs

Peel started her career in the

equities In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

division of

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, Ho ...

in 1997 in London, and became an executive director before leaving in 2003.Maneker, Marion
"The Tate's Secret Weapon: Outset"
'' ArtMarketMonitor.com'', 25 August 2009. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.

Outset Contemporary Art Fund

Peel co-founded the charity

in 2003 with Candida Gertler.Street, Chloe. "Zaha Hadid: The Artist Within", ''

Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...

'', Hong Kong, March 2017. Peel and Gertler generated a model whereby artists could be presented to potential donors in order to raise funds to purchase their work, or to fund new commissions with a view to donating them to public institutions. The Fund purchased over 100 pieces for the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It ...

, and commissioned work by artists including

Francis Alys Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places *Rural Mu ...

Yael Bartana Yael Bartana ( he, יעל ברתנא; born 1970) is an Israeli artist, filmmaker and photographer, whose past works have encompassed multiple mediums, including photography, film, video, sound, and installation. Many of her pieces feature polit ...

Candice Breitz Candice Breitz (born 1972) is a South African white artist who works primarily in video and photography.Intelligence Squared Intelligence Squared is a media company that organizes live debates and other cultural events around the world. It was founded in 2002 in London, where its head office is based, and has affiliates in the US, Australia, and Hong Kong. The debat ...

Asia with Amelie Von Wedel, a not-for-profit platform for hosting live debates in Hong Kong.Crichton-Miller, Emma
"Club class upgrade"
''

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, Nik ...

'', 7 September 2012. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. In 2012 Peel became CEO of Intelligence Squared Group,Clark, Simon
"Top TPG Dealmaker Stephen Peel to Leave Firm"
''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', 20 June 2014. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. bringing the live events business out of its financial difficulties. Peel has hosted interviews including:

Olafur Eliasson Olafur Eliasson ( is, Ólafur Elíasson; born 5 February 1967) is an Icelandic–Danish artist known for sculptured and large-scale installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's ...

and

Shirin Neshat Shirin Neshat ( fa, شیرین نشاط; born March 26, 1957 in Qazvin) is an Iranian visual artist who lives in New York City, known primarily for her work in film, video and photography. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and th ...

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alps, Alpine resort town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, muni ...

,Dickie, Anna
"A conversation with Yana Peel"
''Ocula'', 14 May 2014. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.

Ai Wei Wei Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...

at the

Cambridge Union The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debati ...

Serpentine Galleries

In April 2016, Peel was appointed to the role of CEO of the

. Peel said it was her "mission to create a safe space for unsafe ideas", and to promote a "socially conscious Serpentine". She indicated that she wanted to give artists a greater say in the development of the Serpentine Galleries, in order to give "artists a voice in the biggest global conversations". Peel worked in tandem with the artistic director,

Hans Ulrich Obrist Hans Ulrich Obrist (born 1968) is a Swiss art curator, critic, and historian of art. He is artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London. Obrist is the author of ''The Interview Project'', an extensive ongoing project of interviews. He is ...

.Bourne, Henry
"L’alchimista"
''

La Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnol ...

'', Rome, 8 May 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. Peel furthered the Serpentine Galleries' technological ambitions, introducing digital engagement initiatives including Serpentine Mobile ToursAbrams, Melanie
"How digital media are transforming art collections"
''

'', 15 December 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. and the translation of the exhibition ''

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

: Early Paintings and Drawings'' into

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

.Mairs, Jessica
"Zaha Hadid's abstract paintings translated into immersive virtual reality experiences at Serpentine Gallery"
'' Dezeen'', 1 February 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. Peel stated that she was "committed to maintaining and open-source spirit""Women of the Year: Contribution to the Arts Yana Peel"], '' Harper's Bazaar'', 1 December 2017 at the Serpentine Galleries, and that it was her ambition "to inspire the widest audiences with the urgency of art and architecture". The

noted that Peel "has been able to lure companies such as

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

and

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and m ...

as partners to help meet the Serpentine's annual £9.5m target". Peel and Obrist selected both the first African architect to work on a pavilion,Wainwright, Oliver
"Francis Kéré becomes first African architect of Serpentine pavilion"
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 21 February 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. and the youngest architect to do so.Stott, Rory
"Mexican Architect Frida Escobedo Selected to Design 2018 Serpentine Pavilion"
''

ArchDaily ArchDaily is a weblog covering architectural news, projects, products, events, interviews and competitions, opinion pieces, among others, catering to architects, designers and other interested parties. Description ArchDaily is one of the mo ...

'', 8 February 2018. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. In 2018, she broadened the global reach of the

Serpentine Pavilion The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Central London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Gallery, ...

programme by announcing the launch of a pavilion in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

practice, Jiakun Architects. Together with Lord Richard Rogers and Sir

David Adjaye Sir David Frank Adjaye (born 22 September 1966) is a Ghanaian-British architect. He is known for having designed many notable buildings around the world, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D. ...

, Peel and Obrist selected

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to ...

architect

Diébédo Francis Kéré Diébédo Francis Kéré (born 10 April 1965) is a Burkinabé- German architect, recognized for creating innovative works that are often sustainable and collaborative in nature. In 2022, he became the first African to receive the '' Pritzker A ...

to design the 2017 pavilion. The pavilion was awarded the Civic Trust Award in 2018. The Serpentine selected Mexican architect Frida Escobedo to design the 2018 pavilion. She will be the youngest architect to have participated in the Pavilion programme since it began in 2000. Peel stepped down as CEO in June 2019 as a consequence of the attention paid to her alleged co-ownership of

NSO Group NSO Group Technologies (NSO standing for Niv, Shalev and Omri, the names of the company's founders) is an Israeli cyber-intelligence firm primarily known for its proprietary spyware Pegasus, which is capable of remote zero-click surveillance ...

. However, a later clarification published by The Guardian confirmed that Peel was not involved in the management, operations or control of NSO. Peel had a less than 10% ownership of Novalpina Capital, which subsequently acquired NSO in 2019. Peel was not personally involved in the operation or decisions of Novalpina Capital, which was managed by her husband.

Philanthropy

Peel co-chaired

, a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Hong Kong, from 2010 to 2015. She has been involved with the project since 2009. Peel founded the

's design fund in 2011. The fund supported the acquisition of contemporary design objects. Peel is a member of

's therapeutic board. Inspired by her children, in 2008 Peel produced a series of toddler-friendly art books published by Templar, including: ''Art For Baby'', ''Color For Baby'' and ''Faces For Baby''. These books feature works by artists ranging from

Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingd ...

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

. Proceeds from the sales of the books go towards the NSPCC.

Personal life

In 1999, Peel married Stephen Peel, a private equity financier. They have two children and live in Bayswater, London.Diane Solway
Meet Yana Peel, the Audacious Canadian Who's Transforming London's Famed Serpentine Galleries
''

W magazine ''W'' is an American fashion magazine that features stories about style through the lens of culture, fashion, art, celebrity, and film. W was created in 1972 by James Brady, the publisher of sister magazine ''Women's Wear Daily'' (''WWD''), ori ...

'', 29 November 2016

Awards and honours

*Montblanc Award for Arts Patronage 2011 *Debrett's 500 List: Art *Evening Standard Progress 1000 2017"The Progress 1000: London's top influencers 2017 - Visualisers: Artists & Curators"
''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', 19 October 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018. *ArtLyst Power 100 *Harper's Bazaar Women Of The Year 2017 *Harper's Bazaar Working Wardrobe: Best dressed women 2018 *Henry Crown Fellow. Appointed by the Aspen Institute in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peel, Yana 1974 births Living people Alumni of the London School of Economics British chief executives British children's writers British investors British philanthropists British women in business British women writers McGill University alumni Businesspeople from Toronto Henry Crown Fellows