Kering’s shareholders have approved the appointment of Emma Watson, as well as Jean Liu – President of the DiDi Chuxing mobile application transport platform and Tidjane Thiam – former Managing Director of Credit Suisse and Special Envoy of the African Union for Covid-19 of Kering Administration as Directors during their Annual General Meeting yesterday. Thiam was also appointed Chair of the Audit Committee.
On the other hand, Watson has also been appointed Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the Board of Directors. In addition to being one of the most-known and recognised actresses in the world, Emma Watson was appointed a UN WOMEN Global Goodwill Ambassador and launched the HeForShe initiative aimed at involving men in the promotion of gender equality. Her work on the HeForShe campaign earned her a place on Time Magazine’s TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people in 2015. In 2016, she created Our Shared Shelf, a feminist book club.
In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron invited her to sit on the G7’s advisory Gender Equality Council. Emma 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.
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, commented: “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.”