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Former SVP Retail, Apple & Board Member
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Angela Ahrendts (born June 12, 1960) is an American business executive who has held prominent leadership positions at global fashion and technology companies. She is best known for her tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of the British luxury fashion house Burberry and as the Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple Inc. Her career is characterized by her focus on digital transformation, brand revitalization, and the integration of customer experience across physical and digital platforms. Born and raised in New Palestine, Indiana, Ahrendts was the third of six children. Her father, Richard Ahrendts, was a businessman, and her mother, Jean, was a homemaker. She attended New Palestine High School, where she was active in athletics, including gymnastics, tennis, and volleyball, and served as a varsity cheerleader. Following high school, she attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where she earned a degree in Merchandising and Marketing in 1981. After graduation, Ahrendts moved to New York City to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She held a series of high-level positions, beginning with merchandising roles at Warnaco before joining Donna Karan International in 1989. At Donna Karan, she was instrumental in developing the brand internationally through wholesale and licensing agreements. In 1996, she joined Henri Bendel to lead an expansion project, and in 1998, she joined Fifth & Pacific Companies (formerly Liz Claiborne Inc.). By 2002, she had been promoted to Executive Vice President, overseeing a vast portfolio of over 20 brands, including Lucky Brand Dungarees and the men’s retail business of Liz Claiborne. In 2006, Ahrendts was appointed CEO of the British fashion house Burberry. At the time, the 150-year-old brand was struggling with market dilution and a loss of prestige. Ahrendts initiated a comprehensive restructuring, which included tightening control over the company's licensed products and focusing on the brand’s core heritage. She is widely credited with modernizing Burberry through an aggressive digital strategy, leveraging social media and video to engage a younger, global audience, and expanding the brand’s footprint in emerging markets like China. During her eight-year tenure, which concluded in 2014, she successfully repositioned Burberry as a leading global luxury brand and significantly increased its financial valuation. Her contributions to British business were recognized in 2013 when she was made an Honorary Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE). In 2014, Ahrendts transitioned to the technology sector, joining Apple Inc. as Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. Reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook, she was tasked with overseeing the company’s physical and digital retail operations. Her strategy at Apple focused on the “customer journey,” transforming Apple Stores from simple retail outlets into “town squares”—community-oriented spaces designed for education, creativity, and connection. She launched initiatives such as "Today at Apple," which offered in-store workshops on coding, photography, and music creation, and played a central role in the global expansion of Apple’s retail presence. She served in this role until April 2019, when she departed the company to pursue new professional interests. Since leaving Apple, Ahrendts has maintained an active role in corporate governance and philanthropy. As of 2026, she serves on the boards of directors for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, where she acts as Lead Independent Director, Airbnb, and WPP plc. Her non-profit and advisory work is extensive; she serves as Chair of the Board for Save the Children International and is a board member for charity: water and The HOW Institute for Society. She is also a member of the Global Leadership Council of the Oxford University Saïd Business School. Throughout her career, Ahrendts has been consistently recognized by major publications, including Forbes, Fortune, and the BBC, as one of the world's most powerful and influential business leaders.
Served as CEO of Burberry brilliantly modernizing the legacy British fashion house by aggressively integrating digital technology and global e-commerce
Led Apple's massive global retail division entirely redesigning the physical architecture of Apple Stores into community-focused 'Town Squares'
Launched the highly successful 'Today at Apple' initiative transforming retail stores into educational and creative hubs for local communities
Her massive corporate push to elevate Apple into a high-fashion luxury brand deeply alienated legacy tech enthusiasts and long-time Apple retail employees who felt her changes prioritized aesthetics over functional technical support
Faced significant internal criticism for her attempts to restructure the retail sales compensation and queue systems leading to incredibly long wait times and frustrating customer service experiences before her ultimate departure
In 2019, following her departure from Apple, Ahrendts faced public criticism regarding her management of the company's retail stores. Reports and employee feedback alleged that her strategy of transitioning stores into 'Town Squares' and prioritizing luxury branding over technical support—such as replacing traditional Genius Bars with roaming staff—had negatively impacted the in-store customer experience and decreased the technical expertise of retail staff. Ahrendts publicly dismissed these criticisms, stating they were not based on facts and noting that employee retention and customer satisfaction scores had reached historic highs during her tenure.
Consistently ranked as one of the most powerful women in global business
Graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Marketing and Merchandising in 1981
Joined Donna Karan International in 1989 to develop the luxury brand internationally
Joined Liz Claiborne Inc. in 1998 as Vice President of Corporate Merchandising and Design
Promoted to Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne Inc. in 2002, with responsibility for the company's full line of products
Appointed CEO of Burberry on July 1, 2006, leading the brand's global digital and luxury repositioning
Named one of CNBC's European Business Leaders of the Future in 2010
Awarded an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Ball State University in 2010
Appointed as a member of the UK Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council in 2010
Recognized as one of the Financial Times Top 50 Women in World Business in 2011
Received the Medal of Honor from the St George's Society of New York in 2011
Named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to British business in 2013
Joined Apple Inc. as Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores in May 2014
Appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Ralph Lauren Corporation in August 2018
Joined the Board of Directors of Airbnb in May 2019
Concluded tenure as Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple Inc. in April 2019
Honored with an Indiana Living Legends award in 2019
Appointed to the Board of Directors of WPP plc in June 2020
Became Chair of the Board for Save the Children International in January 2021