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Angela Ahrendts says Burberry management transition ‘well underway’ as reports claim delay

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After becoming a Dame of the British Empire in a ‘low key’ ceremony earlier this month, rumor had it that Apple’s new retail chief Angela Ahrendts would be leaving her CEO position at Burberry this month. Apple has never confirmed as much apart from saying Ahrendts would start in the spring back in its original announcement, but today reports claim Ahrendts might stick around at Burberry a little longer. The Guardian reports that while Ahrendts is free to leave after serving her 6 months notice and helping transition in a new CEO, she could earn as much as an £8m or $13.5m bonus if she stays at Burberry through June:

Ahrendts is free to leave Burberry this month, having worked her six-month notice period, but the American promised to stay on until the middle of this year to smooth a handover to her successor Christopher Bailey, currently chief creative officer. Remaining until 6 June would also allow her to collect two multimillion pound share bonuses relating to performance over the last few years.

The report adds that “the most likely reason no leaving date has been confirmed is that she is wrangling with Burberry and Apple over compensation for the payout in June.”

As of yesterday, Angela was still being quoted as CEO in the company’s latest earnings report. In that same report, Ahrendts notes that “the management transition [is] well underway,” but doesn’t specify when she’ll be leaving for Apple for good. 

Although Ahrendts will take over as Apple SVP of retail after more than a year without someone in the position, she will actually be taking up a newly created role making her the first to head of retail that will run both Apple’s online and offline operations.

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Comments

  1. Gregory Wright - 10 years ago

    Hey, a month or two, what’s the difference.

  2. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    In short, she wants to move on to Apple ASAP, but also doesn’t want to miss out on $13m dollars. No surprise there.

    Not sure how Apple would feel about that. ‘I’m just staying at this job a little longer to collect a payout, not for any other good reason.’ Just what you want your first impression to be at a new job.

    • Tim Jr. - 10 years ago

      You put in nearly 2 years of work, only to miss your bonus for doing that work by 2 months? ahhhh… yea, I wouldn’t fault her for wanting her bonus.. Why would you?

      • kpom1 - 10 years ago

        Apple can solve that problem very easily. How do 26,000 shares of Apple sound right about now, Angela?

  3. Tim Jr. - 10 years ago

    2 months .. I’d wait too!

  4. pieszczoch777 - 10 years ago

    It’s terribly sick to me how greed some people are. People in Africa have nothing.
    People in Eastern Europe have 200$ salary per month, typical English native has 1000-2k salary but woman who has min.5k or muuuuuch more , is hungry for some extra :) well..by having person like this in their company, Apple will be less worth in my eyes. After all I loved them for putting always customer and product quality before money .

    • vulbasour (@justinko87) - 10 years ago

      make no mistake. tim and his co aren’t doing theirs for free either.

      • Yes vulbasour. Thank you for pointing that however it’s just that they actually create product that changed the world but mentioned lady is person who made people think that paying lots of money for t-shirt or some other simple product is worth it because it got burberry logo on it…;/
        However I agree with you that Tim isn’t doing it as a volunteer :/

    • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

      So shut up, sell your house, move to Africa, and solve the problems there, you pathetic hypocrite.

      • Why do you call my hypocrite ? Why do you call me pathetic?
        I learned English so English natives who come to my country can do anything because they are too good to learn other languages..
        I learned brail,and sign language to help with special needs people and because of that I scarified my precious time while I was studying and so I had to give up my university and now I don’t have degree.
        Because you know what?It’s better to help someone chase his dream than chase your own one.
        I am a volunteer in red cross..
        Whenever I meet people for coffee, tea, alcohol I pay the bill even I know they may earn more cause why wouldn’t I? Does money matter that much?
        I can’t move to africa cause I have small baby and wife but if I didn’t have them I would love to do that..
        So don’t call me pathetic and hypocrite just because I think the obvious thing about wrong order of the world and because I have actually balls to say it.
        And you with your jabbering are showing lack of culture and good manners and give a a quite permission to all wrong things that are… :)
        I know it may hurt you or upset but hey …at least that’s a fact not just some theory like in your case :)
        Happy easter

      • Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

        Good for you. You take care of yours, Apple will take care of theirs.

Author

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series.