June 17, 2020: The shareholders of Kering Group (parent company of brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, Pomellato, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux and more) have approved the appointment of Ms. Jean Liu, Mr. Tidjane Thiam and Ms. Emma Watson as Directors.
Ms. Watson has also been appointed Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the Board of Directors, while Mr. Thiam was appointed Chair of the Audit Committee.
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Jean Liu, Tidjane Thiam and Emma Watson to our Board of Directors. Their respective knowledge and competences, and the multiplicity of their backgrounds and perspectives will be invaluable additions to Kering’s Board of Directors. The collective intelligence that comes from diverse points of view and the richness of different experiences are crucial to the future of our organization. I am proud to add such impressive talents to the team.”
Ms. Liu is the President of Didi Chuxing, a multi-modal mobile transportation platform, delivering over 10 billion orders a year to over 550 million users across Asia, Latin America and Australia. She champions a more collaborative approach for the new tech sector to work with policymakers, the public sector and the automotive industry to address the world’s urban services, environmental and employment challenges. Jean Liu is also an advocate for women’s empowerment in the tech and sharing economy sectors, in part through the DiDi Women’s Network, the first career development program for women in the Chinese internet sector.
Mr. Thiam served as CEO of Credit Suisse Group AG from July 2015 to February 2020. In April 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairperson of the African Union, appointed Mr. Thiam as African Union Special Envoy on COVID-19. Throughout his career, Mr. Thiam has led organizations in both the private and public sectors, and has developed projects and programs that stimulate businesses and economies.
Ms. Watson is a British actor and activist. Her filmography includes the Harry Potter series, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, Noah and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. She most recently starred in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Among her other achievements, French President Emmanuel Macron invited her to sit on the G7’s advisory Gender Equality Council in 2019. She is also a pioneer in advocating for sustainable fashion and is a supporter of Good On You, a mobile app which allows consumers to check the sustainability credentials of clothing brands.
In 2019, Kering had over 38,000 employees and revenue of €15.9 billion.