Actress Emma Watson joins board of French Gucci owner Kering
PARIS (Reuters) - British actress Emma Watson, famed for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter film series, and former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam are set to join the board of French luxury group Kering as it pushes to raise its profile in areas such as sustainability.
PARIS (Reuters) - British actress Emma Watson, famed for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter film series, and former Credit Suisse boss Tidjane Thiam are set to join the board of French luxury group Kering as it pushes to raise its profile in areas such as sustainability.
Kering, behind top fashion brands like Italy's Gucci, said that Watson would chair the board's sustainability committee, which is focused on environmental matters - a growing concern for many young luxury shoppers companies want to court.
Watson, 30, is also known as a champion of women's rights and is a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador.
Kering said that shareholders had also approved the appointment of Thiam, who quit as Credit Suisse chief executive in February following a spying scandal and revelations that the Swiss bank had snooped on former executives.
Thiam, who previously ran insurer Prudential, had said he knew nothing of these activities. He led cost cuts and a restructuring at Credit Suisse which were credited with helping it return to profit.
He will chair Kering's Audit Committee, the company said.
Jean Liu, president of China's biggest ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, will also join Kering's board, the group added.
Kering, which also owns Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, has like peers been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced many store closures worldwide.
Enduring restrictions on international travel are likely to weigh on the sector for months to come, especially in shopping capitals like Paris. Chinese customers account for over a third of global luxury goods sales, and many usually shop overseas.
Luxury companies have been doubling down all the same on efforts to win over clients, including by bolstering their green credentials. Louis Vuitton owner LVMH said last July that British designer Stella McCartney would advise the group's executive committee on environmental matters.
(Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Sarah White; Editing by Catherine Evans and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
also read
France, Germany to agree to NATO role against Islamic State - sources | Reuters
By Robin Emmott and John Irish | BRUSSELS/PARIS BRUSSELS/PARIS France and Germany will agree to a U.S. plan for NATO to take a bigger role in the fight against Islamic militants at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, but insist the move is purely symbolic, four senior European diplomats said.The decision to allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to join the coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq follows weeks of pressure on the two allies, who are wary of NATO confronting Russia in Syria and of alienating Arab countries who see NATO as pushing a pro-Western agenda."NATO as an institution will join the coalition," said one senior diplomat involved in the discussions. "The question is whether this just a symbolic gesture to the United States
China's Xi says navy should become world class | Reuters
BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for greater efforts to make the country's navy a world class one, strong in operations on, below and above the surface, as it steps up its ability to project power far from its shores.China's navy has taken an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and a new aircraft carrier launched last month.With President Donald Trump promising a US shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.Inspecting navy headquarters, Xi said the navy should "aim for the top ranks in the world", the Defence Ministry said in a statement about his visit."Building a strong and modern navy is an important mark of a top ranking global military," the ministry paraphrased Xi as saying.