The rise of Angela Ahrendts, from a small town in Indiana to becoming the highest-paid executive at Apple
Ahrendts grew up in New Palestine, Indiana.
As a kid, Ahrendts sewed her own clothes and dreamed of joining the fashion industry.
"It was always fashion. If you read my high school yearbook, I was [someone] who at 16 knew exactly what I was going to do," she told The Guardian.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian
Ahrendts attended Ball State University in Indiana.
The day after her final exams, she moved to New York City, leaving on a one-way ticket.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Ahrendts got her start in sales working for a menswear company.
She moved from there to merchandising at bra maker Warnaco.
Starting in the late 80s, she served as president of Donna Karan International for six years.
Source: Business of Fashion
In the mid-90s, Ahrendts worked at Henri Bendel and was charged with expanding its number of stores.
Ahrendts' job was to open Bendel stores in 50 new markets, but the company's board eventually cancelled the project.
Source: Wall Street Journal
In 1998, Ahrendts joined Liz Claiborne.
She spent eight years there, eventually working her way up to executive vice president
Source: Business of Fashion
Ahrendts became CEO of Burberry in 2006 and immediately went to work revitalizing the company.
Her first order of business was shutting down 35 product categories, many of which featured Burberry's famous check pattern. The company's brand had been over-licensed over the years, diluting its value.
Source: Business of Fashion
During her tenure at Burberry, Ahrendts pushed the company to adopt new technologies.
Under her leadership, Burberry embraced ecommerce and updated its in-store technology. It also launched new product lines, and the company's retail operations expanded into new markets.
Source: Business of Fashion
Ahrendts moved her family to the United Kingdom when she joined Burberry.
Rather than living in a townhouse in London, the family opted for a 12,000-square-foot manor house in the suburbs, complete with a tennis court and indoor pool.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Ahrendts has three children; her son, Jennings, is an aspiring musician.
Her other two children are both daughters — Sommer and Angelina.
Family is important to Ahrendts — she once turned down an invitation to the Oscars to spend more time at home.
Source: Daily Mail
Ahrendts wakes up at 4:35 every morning but doesn't use an alarm clock.
She's also a Diet Coke addict. She once admitted she drinks five or six cans a day.
Source: Daily Mail, Wall Street Journal
While at Burberry, Ahrendts had a clothing allowance of more than $33,000.
She also got an 80% discount on her Burberry purchases.
Ahrendts was often decked out in clothes from Burberry Prorsum — the brand's haute couture line. She still wears the brand's clothes even though she no longer works at the company.
Source: The Guardian
In 2014, Ahrendts was named an honorary Dame Commander of the British Empire.
She got the honorary DBE title "for her contribution to British business."
During Ahrendts tenure at Burberry, the company's stock price more than tripled.
Source: WWD, Financial Times
In April 2014, Ahrendts became executive vice president of retail at Apple.
The tech giant tasked her with revamping its stores and improving employee morale. It also gave her the charge of making the buying process at its outlets feel more like a luxury experience and of improving the merger of its digital and brick-and-mortar shopping experiences.
Source: Fast Company, New York Times
Ahrendts was a fan of Apple even before she joined the company.
"If I look to any company as a model, it's Apple," she told the Wall Street Journal while still serving as Burberry's CEO. "They're a brilliant design company working to create a lifestyle, and that's the way I see us."
Source: Wall Street Journal
She's now Apple's best-paid employee, taking in $24.2 million in 2017.
That's twice what Apple CEO Tim Cook made.
Source: Business Insider
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