Chanel’s Bruno Pavlovsky exits board but remains fashion president

Chanel’s longtime head of fashion operations, Bruno Pavlovsky, is stepping down from the company’s board while retaining his operational role as president of Chanel’s fashion activities, a company representative told Bloomberg on Thursday, 15 October, The Business of Fashion reported.

Governance changes

• A UK filing showed Pavlovsky, 63, left the board on 8 October.
• The move is part of a two-year push to improve board independence at the closely held house, including non-executive appointments of Simone Bagel-Trah, Teresa Ko, and a former Deloitte partner.
• CFO Philippe Blondiaux, 61, will retire at the end of this year after more than 15 years at Chanel; he will be succeeded by Helene de Tissot, formerly of Pernod Ricard.

Pavlovsky’s remit

• Pavlovsky joined Chanel in 1990, worked with Karl Lagerfeld until Lagerfeld’s death in 2019, helped select successor Virginie Viard, and later backed Matthieu Blazy as artistic director.
• He also chairs the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, which organises Paris Fashion Week, and sits on the board of Accor.
• Chanel is owned by brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer.