Angela Ahrendts

Former SVP, Apple Retail; Former CEO, Burberry; Chair of the Board, Save the Children International

Topics: Leadership, Business Leadership, Thought Leadership, Professional Development, Innovation, Business, Corporate Culture, Entrepreneur, Future of Work, Women Leaders, Strategy, Philanthropy

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Biography

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Angela Ahrendts DBE is a renowned business executive who currently serves as the Chair of the Board for Save the Children International and as Senior Operating Advisor at SKKY, the private equity firm led by Kim Kardashian.

Angela Ahrendts was previously Senior Vice President of Apple Retail based in Cupertino, CA. During her five years, she integrated Apple’s physical and digital businesses to create a seamless customer journey for over a billion visitors a year. Under her leadership, she redesigned the stores and recrafted the roles for 70,000 globally. She also reimagined the retail experience with the launch of a transformative educational program focused on coding, music creation, and the arts.

Prior to Apple, Angela Ahrendts relocated to London to join Burberry where she served as Chief Executive Officer for nearly nine years. She led the company through a period of phenomenal global growth repositioning Burberry as a global luxury brand. Her unique leadership style and focus on culture, values and purpose resulted in tripling the business and quadrupling the share price. During her tenure, she was a member of the UK’s Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council and named Honorary Dame Commander of the British Empire.

Prior to Burberry, Angela spent 25 years in New York serving as Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne Inc., where she oversaw the acquisition and integration of over 25 brands. Earlier in her career, she was President of Donna Karan International at the height of their global expansion and IPO.

Angela is currently on the Board of Ralph Lauren Corporation., Airbnb, Inc., and WPP plc. She is also on the non-profit Boards of charity: water, and the HOW Institute for Society; and in January 2021 became Chair of the Board for Save the Children International. She is a member of the Global Leadership Council of the Oxford University Saïd Business School and the BritishAmerican Business Advisory Board.

Angela Ahrendts has consistently been recognized by Forbes, Fortune, and the BBC as a Top 100 Global Executive. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of Humane Letter from her alma mater, Ball State University. In 2019, Angela was honored with an Indiana Living Legends award.

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Videos

The Power of Human Energy: Angela Ahrendts at TEDxHollywood

Emma Grede: Lessons from building billion-dollar brands (with Angela Ahrendts) | Summit 2024

Angela Ahrendts - Former CEO of Burberry | Entrepreneurship | Khan Academy

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Leading with Humility, Humanity, and Heart

Instead of defining leadership by a title, Angela Ahrendts encourages leaders to humble themselves and ask, “Would my team pick me as their leader if they had a choice?”

As former Burberry CEO and Head of Retail for Apple, Angela became a master of leading global teams. In leading people across the world who spanned several generations, Angela learned that gaining affection, loyalty, and commitment required a human approach. It also required more coaching, less bossing.

In this conversation, Angela shares the lessons she has learned, the obstacles she has overcome, and her insights into what the future of leadership should look like. Audiences will walk away with a better understanding of how to share their power, connect with people, and build an environment that encourages everyone to shape the future of the organization.

How Digital and Social Media are Evolving Leadership

With the invention of the iPhone and social media, young people have been exposed to a world where their voices are heard and their opinions matter. In the workplace, however, most leaders don't provide the same environment for their teams.

In this conversation, Former Head of Apple Retail Angela Ahrendts discusses how to authentically connect with these generations in the workplace and evolve your leadership style to engage, empower, and retain your talented young workforce.