This series spotlights senior Walpole members, many of whom are mentors or speakers on the Walpole Luxury Leaders of Tomorrow programme at London Business School - to discover their journey to getting and succeeding in the role, and any advice they have for the next generation. Interview by Diane Metcalfe, Leadership Coach.1. Did you always want to be CEO, and what drove you?I have thoroughly enjoyed my career progression, going from merchant to creative director, product development head, SVP and president of the company. Crossing from luxury brands to fast fashion, to mass and back to luxury I led teams to triumph. Building, leading and coaching teams is a natural orientation for me which I really enjoy - so CEO was the next progression for me, it made sense.
2. How did you land your first CEO role? My first CEO role was at Burberry: Angela Ahrendts promoted me through my time there to president of Europe, and then added emerging markets, and this led her to create my role as CEO of Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa and the Americas. I was leading roughly two thirds of the global business, everything other than Asia.
3. What did you do to prepare yourself for the role and, in retrospect, what else should or could you have done to prepare better?I was Angela Ahrendts' first hire when she joined Burberry in 2006, and working side by side with her was the best preparation I could ever have had. Every company is unique and the CEO role can be very different between businesses. The demands, the structure, and the ways of working can differ greatly. Burberry, as a stand alone British PLC, is very different to an international luxury group and you need to understand these differences.
4. In what way was the role different from what you expected?Transforming dunhill has been such a rich and rewarding experience in so many ways. Building a world-class team across the globe, creating great products that resonate with our customers and our rapidly growing audience – it has been super. There have been many unprecedented challenges, but our strength continues to cut through and gain traction.
5. What were your greatest challenges early on?Well, early on, changing the wheels on the car whilst it’s still moving is never easy. You have to sustain a business, it has to grow, it has to hit all its marks and you have to get everyone on board around the world, and then you have to build momentum. It’s a herculean task in a competitive landscape, but it's always encouraging seeing how fast your teams and your customers embrace your strategy and new products.
6. Did you have any internal challenges you had to overcome?The biggest issue is always getting the right team, it's so critical. You have to rebalance, and we’ve always gotten on track very quickly on that front. Getting everyone to gain momentum, follow a single vision, single brand, and single point of view is so important – you have to 'get the right people on the bus' as the expression goes.
7. They say its lonely at the top, is that something that you have experienced?I have a long history of experience in so many aspects of our industry and I really enjoy working with my teams. I enjoy the knowledge I can share with them and from this a get a really rich working experience, and I have a terrific work-life balance with my family and that is really, really important so I would say not at all.
8. What qualities separate out CEOs from other C-suite executives?People in the other C-suite roles have a narrower, more specific responsibility: whether it's finance, or marketing and merchandising. To be a great CEO you need experience and expertise in many aspects of the business. So I always say be curious, stay curious, and keep learning all the time, as it’s the diversity of your toolbox that will enable you to achieve what you need to as a CEO, and it's impressive to me how complex and diverse running a business today is.
9. Thinking about the luxury sector specifically, what quality do you think a CEO needs to be successful, specifically in the luxury sector?I think to be successful in our sector you need to have a passion for product, an obsession with your customers and a strong leadership toolbox. Product is critical. We live and die by our products; they have to be stunning, relevant and desirable, and building, creating and sharing luxury products requires a real passion.
10. Finally, what advice would you give to someone who either aspires to be, or is new to a CEO role?I would urge you to diversify your experience early on and all the time. You need to have a deep understanding of a broad spectrum of aspects that drive the businesss; from digital in all countries and cultures, to real estate, finance and most importantly marketing, merchandising and design. So, I would say expand your toolbox everywhere you can - especially in all things digital.
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