Christopher Paul BaileyCBE is the former president and chief creative officer of Burberry. In May 2014, he took up the role of chief creative officer and president, following the departure of former CEO Angela Ahrendts. In February 2018, he was succeeded as chief creative officer by Riccardo Tisci.
Early life and education
Christopher Paul Bailey was born in Yorkshire, England, the son of a carpenter and a window dresser for Marks and Spencer. He graduated from the Royal College of Art with a master's degree in 1994, where he was later awarded an honorary fellowship in 2004 and, in 2013, an honorary-doctorate degree.
Career
From 1994 to 1996 he was the womenswear designer at Donna Karan and senior designer of womenswear at Gucci in Milan from 1996 to 2001. He joined Burberry in May 2001 as design director and became creative director in 2004, and chief creative officer in November 2009. In 2008, Bailey, alongside Angela Ahrendts, established the Burberry Foundation, dedicated to helping young people realise their dreams and potential through the power of their creativity. The Burberry Foundation invests in select charities focused on supporting young people in the key cities in regions where the majority of Burberry employees live and work, and where they are able to participate in volunteer roles. On 15 October 2013, Bailey was named as the next CEO of Burberry following Angela Ahrendts's departure to Apple in mid-2014. Bailey took up the role of chief creative officer and CEO on 1 May 2014. Bailey is credited with transforming the fortunes of the company, turning it into the luxury industry's digital leader and overseeing a reinvigoration of the company's design. Bailey masterminded the design of Burberry's largest store, 121 Regent Street in London, opened in 2012, a bricks-and-mortar incarnation of the brand's website. He also oversaw the design and development of the Burberry Global Headquarters at Horseferry House in London, opened in 2009. In July 2016, it was announced that Marco Gobbetti, CEO of Céline, would be the next CEO of Burberry. Gobbetti took over from Bailey in November 2017, who will be transitioning to the role of president while also retaining the title of chief creative officer. In July 2017, Gobbetti replaced Bailey as CEO. According to a 31 October 2017 company announcement, Bailey will resign from the board in March 2018 and entirely depart from Burberry in the following December.
Personal life
While in Milan, Bailey met and began dating Geert Cloet, brand designer for Miu Miu. He split his time between his home in Milan and England. When Cloet was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2004, he and Bailey moved to Yorkshire to be near Bailey's family. Cloet died the next year. Bailey has been in a relationship with British actorSimon Woods since 2009, and they married in 2012. They have two daughters, Iris and Nell. In May 2014 Bailey became the first openly gay executive among FTSE 100 corporations. Bailey is mentoring emerging British creative talent from UK institutions including the Royal College of Art and the University of Huddersfield.
Awards
2004 – Honorary fellowship, the Royal College of Art where Bailey graduated from with a master of arts degree in 1994
