CHRISTOPHER BAILEY TO LEAVE BURBERRY
Luxury British fashion house Burberry has announced that Christopher Bailey will leave the company at the end of 2018.
As Burberry begins the next decade of its journey, Bailey has decided that after 17 years he will leave the company to pursue new creative projects. Bailey will remain president and chief creative officer until March 31, 2018, when he will step down from the Board. He will provide his full support to chief executive officer Marco Gobbetti and the team on the transition until December 31, 2018.
Since joining in 2001, Bailey has been a driving force behind Burberry’s transformation. In that time, Burberry has grown from a small licensed outerwear business to become one of the world’s largest and most admired global luxury brands.
Bailey became CEO and chief creative officer in May 2014. In this joint role, he continued to push boundaries and led the ongoing elevation of the brand. He has also built a highly talented and experienced creative team, capable of the constant re-invention that Burberry is known for. Moreover, Bailey worked with the Board to put in place a new leadership structure and in July was succeeded as CEO by Marco Gobbetti. Since then, Gobbetti and Bailey have worked together to shape an ambition and a strategy for the next chapter to accelerate the growth and success of the Burberry brand.
“Burberry has undergone an incredible transformation since 2001 and Christopher has been instrumental to the company’s success in that period,” said Gobbetti. “While I am sad not to have the opportunity to partner with him for longer, the legacy he leaves and the exceptional talent we have at Burberry gives me enormous confidence in our future. We have a clear vision for the next chapter to accelerate the growth and success of the Burberry brand and I am excited about the opportunity ahead for our teams, our partners, and our shareholders.”
“It has been the great privilege of my working life to be at Burberry, working alongside and learning from such an extraordinary group of people over the last 17 years,” added Bailey. “Burberry encapsulates so much of what is great about Britain. As an organization, it is creative, innovative and outward looking. It celebrates diversity and challenges received wisdom. It is over 160 years old, but it has a young spirit. It is part of the establishment, but it is always changing and always learning. It has been a truly inspiring place to work and the decision to leave was not an easy one. I do truly believe, however, that Burberry’s best days are still ahead of her and that the company will go from strength to strength with the strategy we have developed and the exceptional talent we have in place led by Marco. I would like to thank all my colleagues as well as Sir John Peace and the Board for all their support and faith in me over the years. I am excited to pursue new creative projects but remain fully committed to the future success of this magnificent brand and to ensuring a smooth transition.”
Sir John Peace, the chairman at Burberry, commented: “Christopher is a unique talent and an exceptional person and I would like to thank him personally for his part in transforming Burberry. He has been a great partner to me and he leaves the company in the very best of hands, with a strong team and culture in place, led by Marco as CEO. I have total confidence that Marco’s vision and leadership, with the excellent management team in place, will keep Burberry on the forefront creatively, digitally and financially, creating further value for shareholders in the next exciting stage of our evolution.”