The Ralph Lauren Corporation today announced that it intends to add Angela Ahrendts to the company's Board of Directors this August. Along with Ahrendts, Qurate Retail CEO Michael George will be added to the board, bringing the number of directors to 13.

Ahrendts joined Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail in May 2014, where she now spearheads the company's retail strategy, contributes to real estate and development areas, and oversees the operation of Apple's physical stores around the world. Prior to joining Apple, she was CEO of Burberry, Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne, and President of Donna Karan International.

AP keynote 2017 wrap up Angela Today at Apple
In joining Ralph Lauren's board, Lauren himself said one of the reasons the company chose Ahrendts was due to her "deep expertise in luxury retail."

“I am delighted to welcome Angela and Mike to the Board of Directors,” said Mr. Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. “Angela is an industry leader and innovator with deep expertise in luxury retail and an outstanding track record of growing global brands. Mike brings invaluable experience as a senior leader and board member, helping companies drive consumer engagement and growth. Their counsel will be incredibly valuable as we continue to build the future for our iconic brand.”

Ms. Ahrendts said, “I have admired Ralph and been inspired by his pure global lifestyle vision for many years. It is an honor to join this Board as he and Patrice continue to evolve and expand his incredible aesthetic.”

Last September, Ahrendts climbed to the 13th spot on Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" list for 2017, rising from 14th in 2016 and 16th in 2015. During her time with Apple, she has launched the company's new "Today at Apple" retail initiative, offering a range of classes on coding, art, music, design, and photography at Apple stores around the world. Ultimately, Ahrendt's goal with the new program is to change the perception of Apple stores as "forums" or "town squares," and not places where you go to just shop.

While George has been appointed to the board effective today, May 9, Ahrendts will be nominated for election at the company's annual stockholders meeting in August. Ahrendts will retain her duties at Apple following her appointment to Ralph Lauren's board.

Top Rated Comments

pete2106 Avatar
90 months ago
She's ruined Apple Stores. It's a soul destroying experience going into them these days.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
90 months ago
She's ruined Apple Stores. It's a soul destroying experience going into them these days.
Why exactly? People seem to enjoy them a great deal and they are as busy as ever if not more.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
topgunn Avatar
90 months ago
She's ruined Apple Stores. It's a soul destroying experience going into them these days.
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MonstaMash Avatar
90 months ago
She's ruined Apple Stores. It's a soul destroying experience going into them these days.
Soul destroying? Seems like a bit of a hyperbole? I've been to a few and have always been instantly greeted. Staff have been friendly.

Compare this other technology stores, like AT&T, where all the staff are looking down and texting when you walk in :D
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Denmac1 Avatar
90 months ago
I remember my first experience at the Palo Alto store when I bought the first iPod. Then, to me, it was truly a 'magical' experience.
The last time I was in a store. it was last October when I picked up my MBP. I was passed through 3 persons to get to the end results. I was not impressed with what I felt was a very impersonal experience. Then I received an email asking how I felt my interaction with 'John' was. How in the heck was I to know when no one wears a name badge anymore and they don't identify themselves when you speak with them.
To me, warm & fuzzy has become cold & clinical, IMHO.
Of course at this point, Apple has nothing new to offer me, so I guess I don't need to go back anyway.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
90 months ago
Briefly met her my last year in Apple Retail. She’s a typical retail executive, polite and humble in person to the rank and file Leads and store managers- probably a total ball-buster to her direct reports.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Visa and American Express Vying to Win Apple Card Deal in 'Fierce' Fight

Tuesday April 1, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Visa wants to pay Apple approximately $100 million to be the new payment network for the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. As of right now, the Apple Card is on the Mastercard payment network, but that is set to change because Apple is ending its partnership with Goldman Sachs. Both American Express and Visa are vying to replace Mastercard as Apple's card services provider, while...
iOS 18

Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 18.5 to Developers

Wednesday April 2, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming just two days after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. We don't yet know what Apple is introducing in the iOS 18.5...