Kering’s shareholders have approved the appointment of Jean Liu, Tidjane Thiam, and Emma Watson as directors during their recently held annual general meeting, as proposed by the board of directors. Watson has also been appointed chair of the sustainability committee of the board of directors, while Thiam was appointed chair of the audit committee.
The combined wealth of experience and skillsets of these three well-known figures will be a complementary asset to the group, enhancing the quality of the work done by the board of directors. The latter will benefit from their contribution in defining the group’s strategic orientations, according to a press release by Kering.
Liu is the president of Didi Chuxing. She 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. Liu received a bachelor’s degree from Peking University and a master’s degree from Harvard University, both in computer science, and earned an honorary doctorate in commercial science at New York University. She is a founding member of the advisory board of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and a member of the Asia Society’s Board of Trustees.
Thiam served as chief executive officer of Credit Suisse from July 2015 to February 2020. In April 2020, president Cyril Ramaphosa, chairperson of the African Union, appointed Thiam as African Union Special Envoy on COVID-19. Thiam is a member of the Group of Thirty (G30). In 2019, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was appointed in May 2020 a member of the IOC Finance Commission. He is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, and holds an MBA with distinction from Insead. He has received a degree of doctor of law, honoris causa, from the University of Warwick.
Watson is a British actor and activist. In May 2014, she earned a degree in English literature from Brown University. Watson 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.
“I am delighted to welcome Liu, Thiam, and 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 organisation. I am proud to add such impressive talents to the team,” François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Kering said.
