Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to join Apple executive team
Apple has hired Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, as senior vice president of retail and online stores. She will also join Apple’s executive team, reporting to CEO Tim Cook.
Ahrendts will oversee the strategic direction, expansion and operation of both Apple retail and online stores.
“I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team,” said Cook. “She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.”
Ahrendts will join Apple in the spring from luxury brand Burberry, where she serves as CEO. Prior to Burberry, she was executive vice president at Liz Claiborne and earlier in her career she served as president of Donna Karan International.
Ahrendts is the second luxury-industry chief this year to join Apple. In July, the iPhone maker hired Paul Deneve, CEO of high-end fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, to become vice president of special projects at the tech company.
Camilla Vautier joins Ericsson Thailand
Ericsson has appointed Camilla Vautier as president of Ericsson Thailand to lead the company’s operations in the country. She takes over the role from Joacim Damgard, who now heads up UK and Ireland for the company.
Vautier assumed her new role on October 1, reporting to Ericsson’s president for South East Asia and Oceania, Arun Bansal.
Vautier has been working with Ericsson for over 18 years, having held senior roles in sales and marketing management in several regions, including Europe and Asia. Most recently she was the head of commercial management in Western and Central Europe.
GSMA chairman Bernabe resigns
Franco Bernabe has stepped down as the chairman of the GSMA. The news comes less than two weeks after Bernabe resigned from his role as president and CEO at Telecom Italia.
The GSMA said it will hold an election amongst its board members and will announce a new chairman in November. In the meantime, Jon Fredrik Baksaas, president and CEO of Telenor Group and current deputy chairman of the GSMA, has taken on the role of acting chairman effective immediately.