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Kering, behind top fashion brands like Italy's
Gucci, said that Watson would chair the board's sustainability
committee, which is focused on environmental matters - a growing
concern for many young luxury shoppers companies want to court.
Watson, 30, is also known as a champion of women's rights and is
a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador.
Kering said that shareholders had also approved the appointment
of Thiam, who quit as Credit Suisse chief executive in February
following a spying scandal and revelations that the Swiss bank
had snooped on former executives.
Thiam, who previously ran insurer Prudential, had said he knew
nothing of these activities. He led cost cuts and a
restructuring at Credit Suisse which were credited with helping
it return to profit.
He will chair Kering's Audit Committee, the company said.
Jean Liu, president of China's biggest ride-hailing company Didi
Chuxing, will also join Kering's board, the group added.
Kering, which also owns Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, has like
peers been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, which forced
many store closures worldwide.
Enduring restrictions on international travel are likely to
weigh on the sector for months to come, especially in shopping
capitals like Paris. Chinese customers account for over a third
of global luxury goods sales, and many usually shop overseas.
Luxury companies have been doubling down all the same on efforts
to win over clients, including by bolstering their green
credentials. Louis Vuitton owner LVMH said last July that
British designer Stella McCartney would advise the group's
executive committee on environmental matters.
(Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Sarah White; Editing by
Catherine Evans and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
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