In hopes of a refresh, Burberry commits to region specific leadership
With Q1 closed, Burberry is beginning to show signs of improvement. The British fashion house has been contending with significant declines but reported some encouraging numbers this quarter. In EMEIA, comparable store sales were up 1%, and in the Americas, they rose 4%. While some regions are still in the works with Greater China comp sales down 5% and Asia-Pacific down 4%, Burberry has made leadership changes with hopes to bring in more regional success.
Burberry has appointed four new regional presidents to its executive committee: Claudia Kim for Asia Pacific, Frank van Loon for EMEIA, Josie Zhang for Greater China, and Laura Dubin-Wander for the Americas. All four are internal promotions. Kim, who joined Burberry in 2018, previously served as General Manager at Bluebell Korea. Van Loon, with Burberry since 2020, has also held senior roles at Tom Ford and Brunello Cucinelli. Zhang, nearing her 10-year mark at Burberry, formerly served as Regional Director at Christian Dior. Dubin-Wander, the most recent addition to the team, joined Burberry a year ago following her role as CEO of OTB Designer Brands Americas, and has also held senior leadership positions at Coach and Christian Dior Couture.
This experienced, well-rounded group was brought in to advance Burberry’s goal of “aligning leadership and decision-making more closely with the customer.” With a more regionally focused structure, Burberry aims to better understand and respond to the unique needs and preferences of its diverse global clientele.
As part of this shift, Burberry will eliminate the role of Chief Commercial Officer. This change will further empower the presidents to make decisions tailored to their regions. Given Burberry’s strong foundation in tradition and culture, it will be interesting to watch how the British luxury house evolves to meet global expectations without losing sight of their roots.