Luxury goods company Burberry has appointed Jonathan Akeroyd, currently at Versace, as its new chief executive from April 2022.
The 54-year-old will replace Marco Gobbetti, who announced in June that he would resign by the end of the year. Gobbetti is leaving to head the Salvatore Ferragamo luxury group, an opportunity that will allow him to return to Italy and be closer to his family.
Jonathan Akeroyd is currently the boss of Gianni Versace, based in Milan from 2016. The label was sold to the American Capri Group, headed by Michael Kors, in 2018. Previously, Akeroyd led Alexander McQueen for more than a decade, overseeing a turnaround at the group. He has also held senior positions at Harrords.
The new chief executive will receive a salary of £1.1m a year, as well as bonus opportunities.
“I am looking forward to returning to London where I started building my career in the luxury industry to join a talented team with ambitious plans for the future and a strong platform to accelerate growth,” said Jonathan Akeroyd.
“Jonathan is a seasoned leader with a strong track record of building global luxury brands and driving profitable growth,” said Gerry Murphy, Chairman of Burberry. “He shares our values and ambition to build on Burberry’s unique British creative heritage and his deep expertise in the luxury and fashion industry will be essential in driving forward the next phase of Burberry’s evolution“.
Murphy will chair the executive committee from the end of this year, when Gobetti leaves, and until Akeroyd joins the company.
For Luca Solca, luxury goods analyst at Bernstein, “Jonathan Akeroyd‘s experience seems relevant, as Burberry’s position in the market is somewhere between the high-end European luxury brands and the accessible, more commercially oriented US luxury brands“.
Read also > BURBERRY BOSS MARCO GOBBETTI RESIGNS TO JOIN FERRAGAMO
Featured photo : © WWD
