Apple's retail boss will be joining Ralph Lauren's board of directors
- Apple's head of retail, Angela Ahrendts, will be added to Ralph Lauren's board of directors in August.
- Ahrendts heads up Apple's retail presence, but before joining Apple, she served as Burberry CEO and held executive-level positions at Donna Karan and Liz Claiborne.
- Ralph Lauren, who serves as executive chairman and chief creative officer of his brand, said in a statement: "Angela is an industry leader and innovator with deep expertise in luxury retail and an outstanding track record of growing global brands."
Fashion house Ralph Lauren plans to add Angela Ahrendts to its board of directors, the company announced Wednesday.
Ahrendts, who serves as Apple's head of retail, will be nominated for the position at Ralph Lauren's annual stockholders meeting, which will take place in August.
"I am delighted to welcome Angela and [Qurate Retail CEO Mike George] to the Board of Directors," Ralph Lauren, who serves as executive chairman and chief creative officer of his eponymous brand, said in a statement announcing the news. "Angela is an industry leader and innovator with deep expertise in luxury retail and an outstanding track record of growing global brands."
Ahrendts joined Apple as senior vice president of retail in May 2014. Ahrendts was initially tasked with brainstorming how to sell the Apple Watch, a brand-new product category for the company. But she also had to win over Apple's retail employees after the company's former retail boss John Browett reduced hours and cut back on new hires.
Still, Ahrendts' background is rooted in high-end fashion. Prior to Apple, Ahrendts was CEO of British fashion house Burberry for eight years. She also previously served as executive vice president at Liz Claiborne and president of Donna Karan.