Burberry’s Head Of Diversity Gets ‘Phased Out’ Amid Company Overhaul

Burberry has dismissed its head of diversity, sparking questions over whether the luxury fashion house is signaling a broader retreat from diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

On Oct. 1, the company announced that Geoffrey Williams, Burberry’s global vice president of colleague attraction and inclusion, was let go amid a broader restructuring plan that aims to cut 1,700 jobs worldwide by 2027, The Times reports. In a statement, Williams said he was being “phased out” as part of the company’s overhaul.

“As part of a wider restructure, Burberry has chosen to integrate responsibility for diversity, equity and inclusion across the organisation,” Williams said. “This reflects a belief that DEI should be embedded throughout the culture and owned by leaders across the business. The successful transition from a centralised function to a shared responsibility will help ensure long-term sustainability.”

Williams, described as “highly respected in the world of leadership,” joined Burberry in April 2022 as global vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and was promoted in July last year to lead the company’s talent strategy as global vice president of colleague attraction and inclusion. Prior to Burberry, he directed DEI initiatives at British footwear brand Dr. Martens and multinational media and technology company Thomson Reuters. Williams also serves as chairman of the £15 million Bernie Grant Arts Centre in London and is co-founder of the social enterprise Rocking Ur Teens.

Burberry has stated that the job cuts are expected to save the company at least £60 million. The layoffs follow the fashion house suffering a £66 million loss for the 12 months ending March 29, with sales dropping 12% to £2.5 billion amid a slowdown in China. In May, Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman attributed the drop in sales to the U.K.’s punitive tourist tax and tariffs imposed by the U.S. under President Donald Trump.

Burberry’s decision to eliminate the diversity role has raised concerns about companies scaling back DEI initiatives, particularly after Trump signed three executive orders earlier this year aimed at ending DEI programs in both the public and private sectors. Several major U.S. corporations, including Boeing, Walmart, Meta, Target, and Amazon, have already reduced their DEI commitments.

The wave appears to be spreading across the pond with U.K. firms following suit. GSK, the British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, paused diversity initiatives for its U.K. workforce, citing the need to align with U.S. executive orders due to its significant presence in the American market.

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