Burberry appoints Gerry Murphy as chairman designate
Luxury brand Burberry has appointed former Kingfisher chief executive Gerry Murphy as chairman designate.
He will begin his new role on 17 May and will succeed Sir John Peace as Burberry chairman at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on 12 July.
Peace said: “In Gerry Murphy, we have found a superb candidate with extensive experience in the consumer and retail industries. I am confident he is the right choice to lead the board as Burberry embarks on a new chapter.”
Murphy has served as non-executive director of companies such as British American Tobacco, Merlin Entertainments and Reckitt Benckiser.
He is currently chairman of Tate and Lyle and of The Blackstone Group International Partners, Blackstone’s principal European entity. Prior to joining Blackstone as a senior managing director in its private equity group, he served as chief executive of Kingfisher, Carlton Communications, Exel and Greencore Group.
Jeremy Darroch, the Burberry senior independent director who led the process to find Peace’s successor, said: “We are delighted to welcome Gerry to the board. His substantial UK plc and global business experience will be a great asset to Burberry as we continue to focus on delivering long-term shareholder value.”
“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Sir John for his immense contribution to Burberry over the past 16 years. Sir John has presided over a period of extraordinary change, during which Burberry has enjoyed strong growth and evolved into one of the most valuable luxury brands in the world.”
With headquarters in London, Burberry had 205 retail stores, 199 concessions, 57 outlets and 47 franchise stores around the world at the end of 2017.
