Angela Ahrendts is a retail executive who led the British fashion house Burberry and later oversaw Apple's retail and online stores worldwide.

Angela Ahrendts was born on June 7, 1960, in New Palestine, Indiana, in the United States. She was the third of six children born to Richard Ahrendts and Jean Ahrendts. While studying fashion merchandising at Ball State University, she took a summer course in New York City that introduced her to the city's fashion industry. She earned her degree in 1981 and moved to New York to work in the industry.

Early Career in Fashion

Ahrendts worked for the apparel manufacturer Warnaco before joining Donna Karan International in 1989. She served as president of the company and worked with its founder, Donna Karan. In 1996, she joined Henri Bendel as executive vice president to oversee expansion plans for the New York specialty retailer.

In 1998, Ahrendts joined Liz Claiborne Inc. as vice president of corporate merchandising and design. She became executive vice president in 2002 and oversaw a portfolio of brands that included Juicy Couture and DKNY Jeans.

Burberry

Ahrendts joined Burberry as an executive director in January 2006 and succeeded Rose Marie Bravo as chief executive officer on July 1. At the London-based fashion house, she brought design decisions under creative director Christopher Bailey and made the trench coat the focus of Burberry's clothing business.

Burberry's market value rose from about £2.1 billion when Ahrendts joined the company to just over £7 billion by October 2013. In a survey of the 350 largest listed companies in the United Kingdom, her total compensation of £16.9 million for 2012 placed her first among their chief executives. She remained at Burberry until April 2014, when Bailey succeeded her as CEO.

Apple and Board Appointments

On May 1, 2014, Ahrendts joined Apple as senior vice president of retail and online stores, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. Apple disclosed total compensation of $73.4 million for her first fiscal year with the company. Most of that amount consisted of stock awards, including a grant to replace unvested Burberry shares she gave up when she left.

During her tenure, Apple introduced Today at Apple, a program of free in-store sessions on photography, music, art and other subjects. Ahrendts left Apple in April 2019. Deirdre O'Brien took over responsibility for its retail and online stores.

Ahrendts joined the board of Ralph Lauren Corporation in 2018 and the board of Airbnb in 2019. In 2021, she became chair of Save the Children International. Ralph Lauren's board elected her lead independent director in 2025.

Family

Ahrendts married Gregg Couch, whom she had known since elementary school in Indiana. They have three children, Jennings, Angelina and Sommer.

Source: Biyografiler.com