Kim Kardashian Taps Angela Ahrendts for Private Equity Firm SKKY Partners
Kim Kardashian’s private equity firm, SKKY Partners, has added former senior vice president of Apple Retail Angela Ahrendts as senior operating adviser, according to an Aug. 7 report in The Wall Street Journal.
Ahrendts, who is also the former CEO of British luxury fashion house Burberry, will work with Kardashian, her business partner Jay Sammons, and their team to identify and evaluate prospective investment opportunities while serving as a resource for the companies in which SKKY invests. She will support the firm’s investment in “the next generation of consumer brands,” the company said in a press release quoted in The Wall Street Journal.
“Angela’s wealth of leadership experience experience and deep understanding of building brands and influencing culture makes her a natural fit for the firm,” Kardashian said in the release.
SKKY Partners was formed in September 2022 by Kardashian and Sammons, a former partner at Carlyle Group, to invest in consumer products, hospitality, luxury, digital commerce and media, and consumer media and entertainment businesses.
“Kim and Jay have created something truly extraordinary with SKKY Partners,” Ahrendts said in the release. “Their focus on backing the next generation of industry-disrupting brands, with a mission to leave each company they invest in better than it was before, is truly inspiring.”
Total Retail's Take: Good move, SKKY Partners. Ahrendts, regarded as a retail rock star, is the perfect fit for a company trying to grow its digital and consumer products footprint.
Why a retail rockstar? While at Burberry, Ahrendts helped the brand triple its sales and quadruple its stock price. Then, at Apple, where Ahrendts spent five years as senior vice president, she helped integrate the brand's physical and digital businesses, as well as reimagined its retail experience, stores and the roles of 70,000 employees globally.
Prior to those roles, Ahrendts was the executive vice president of Liz Claiborne and president of Donna Karan International. She currently serves on the boards of Ralph Lauren, Airbnb, and WPP, the release said.
