(Reuters) – British fashion house Burberry named Jonathan Akeroyd as its new chief executive officer from next April, poaching the boss of Milan-based Gianni Versace and former Alexander McQueen head to succeed Marco Gobbetti.
“Jonathan is an experienced leader with a strong track record in building global luxury fashion brands and driving profitable growth,” Burberry Chair Gerry Murphy said.
Gobbetti’s departure after four years has been cast as a personal decision to return to Italy, where he will take the helm of luxury goods group Ferragamo.
Following are some highlights of Akeroyd’s career.
* Akeroyd, 54, is a British national who worked his way up from being a store manager at Harrods in London to becoming merchandising director of the luxury department store.
* He was named chief executive of Alexander McQueen in 2004, a British luxury brand owned by French luxury goods group Kering. He spurred its turnaround through the launch of an accessories range, the appointment of Sarah Burton as creative director, and a significant store expansion in the U.S. and Chinese markets.
* Akeroyd joined Gianni Versace Spa in 2016 as chief executive, reorganising the Italian fashion house, accelerating its growth and overseeing its sale to U.S. group Michael Kors Holdings, renamed as Capri Holdings, in 2018.
(Reporting by Federico Maccioni;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
