The question of whether she lives up to her enthusiastic advance billing as “the most important hire Tim Cook has ever made” and even the “future Apple CEO” is yet to be answered, but one thing’s for certain: outgoing Burberry CEO (and incoming Apple head of retail and online sales) Angela Ahrendts sure sounded like one of the Apple family when summing up her time with the fashion house recently.
Channeling her inner-Jobs (something that Tim Cook has proven himself capable of before), Ahrendts noted on her LinkedIn blog that:
“For me, Burberry’s true success is measured not by financial growth or brand momentum, but by something much more human: one of the most connected, creative and compassionate cultures in the world today, steeped in common values and beliefs, and united around a shared vision.”
While this might sound like general plaudits on the surface, the comment contains more than a sprinkling of Apple culture: talking about the focus of long-term growth over short-term financial gain — and, of course, the discussion of “common values and beliefs” all built around a central ecosystem of “shared vision.”
Ahrendts instigated a number of technological changes during her time at Burberry: including numerous advances in both store and head office, as well as an internal communication system similar to Twitter that allows all employees to speak to one another openly.
Source: LinkedIn
Via: Vogue
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
