Former Guardian Media Group CEO David Pemsel will succeed Stephanie Phair as chairman of the British Fashion Council
David Pemsel, CEO of communications agency ScienceMagic.Inc has been named chair of the British Fashion Council. From today, the media executive will support Caroline Rush, CEO, in the ‘development and implementation of the organisation’s strategy and building the profile of British fashion globally’.
The marketing executive replaces Stephanie Phair, Chief Customer Officer at Farfetch, who stepped down earlier this month after five years in the role.
Having held a position on the executive board of the Council until 2019, Pemsel is attuned to the work of the advocacy body and will push forward its roadmap. Its forthcoming agenda includes raising awareness of British fashion more broadly. He says: ‘The coronavirus crisis and Brexit both pushed the UK government to evolve its relationship with the fashion industry, but there’s still work to be done.’
Pemsel also has his work cut out setting standardised benchmarks for sustainability, diversity and inclusion and nurturing a new wave of industry talent. The British Fashion Council is also dedicating increased resources to exploring how brands can use technologies like web3, blockchain and the metaverse in their business.
‘We’ve got to convene the industry to work together around making the biggest impact,’ Pemsel said. ‘As soon as you get alignment with the BFC and what matters to the industry, that’s one plus one equals three.’
On the new appointment, Rush said the body is ‘delighted to welcome David into his new role and we look forward to working with him to strengthen and elevate the BFC with a focus on creativity, business, and innovation. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Stephanie Phair for being a fantastic chair and setting us up for the next chapter.’
