Why Fashion Brands Should Think More Like Tech Companies

You may not know Karen Harvey by name, but if you’re interested in fashion, you’re probably aware of her handiwork. She’s the founder and CEO of Karen Harvey Consulting, and for the past 16 years, she’s been a talent spotter for some of the world’s top fashion brands. She’s responsible for discovering many of the well-known executives currently running the industry. She recently helped place creative directors Stuart Vevers at Coach, Danielle Sherman at Edun, Giovanni Morelli at Stuart Weitzman, and Tom Mora at Cole Haan. Previously, she helped steer Jonathan Akeroyd to CEO of Versace, Jonathan Saunders to chief creative officer at DVF, and Francesca Amfitheatrof to design director at Tiffany. (She’s also involved in several other executive searches that she’s not at liberty to talk about because of non-disclosure agreements.) In addition, Harvey’s consulting firm has helped brands like Coach, Burberry, Nike, and Tiffany define their long-term goals and develop strategies for achieving them, which often includes hiring new people. She’s famous for her intense storytelling workshops, in which she brings together the leaders of a company to articulate what their brand really stands for and what they want it to accomplish in the future. And she’s the founder of the Fashion Tech Forum, an annual conference that gathers leaders from the fashion and technology industries to discuss how to collaborate and learn from one another. Read more at Fast Company.