Helena Helmersson
Helena Helmersson | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Helena Helmersson October 1973 (age 51) Skellefteå, Sweden |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Title | Chief executive, H&M |
| Term | 2020–2024 |
| Predecessor | Karl-Johan Persson |
| Successor | Daniel Ervér |
| Children | 2 |
Helena Helmersson (born October 1973)[1] is a Swedish former business executive. From 2010 to 2020, she was head of sustainability at the Swedish retail clothing company H&M,[2] and from 2020 to 2024 she was its CEO.[3]
Early life
[edit]Helmersson was born in Skellefteå in the north of Sweden along with her parents and two sisters. She graduated with a master's degree in international business administration from the Umeå School of Business and Economics in 1997.[2][1]
Career
[edit]Helmersson joined joined H&M in 1997. She became a section manager in the buying office before she went to Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2007 where she was H&M's production manager. After a further period serving as their department manager for underwear production in Hong Kong.
In 2010 when she returned to Stockholm to be manager for social responsibility and supply.[4][5] Helmersson's responsibilities covered the improvement of the social and environmental sustainability of supply, contributing to H&M's sustainability strategy which was initially implemented in the 1990s.[6]
She was appointed CEO of H&M on 30 January, 2020. During her tenure H&M faced financial challenges due to the Covid pandemic[7] and losses from disinvesting in Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian war as well as global supply chain difficulties and costs.[8]
On 31 January 2024, it was announced that Helmersson would be replaced as CEO of H&M by Daniel Ervér.[9][10]
[…]it has been very demanding at times for me personally and I now feel that it is time to leave the CEO role, which of course has not been an easy decision.
— Helmersson[9]
In June 2024, Henderson joined the board of Quizrr, a Swedish digital training platform company founded by her husband.[11]
Recognition
[edit]In March 2014, Helmersson was listed as Sweden's "Most Powerful Woman in Business" by the weekly business magazine Veckans Affärer.[2]
In 2019, she received the "Influential Leader" recognition from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for influencing the way corporations view sustainability.[12]
Helmersson was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Umeå University in 2020 for her commitment to sustainability issues.[13][14]
She was ranked 41st on Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women in 2023.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Helmersson is married and has two children.[16] She lives in Danderyd Municipality.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lindholm, Maria (27 August 2020). "H&M:s vd fick en mardrömsstart: "Vi behöver ta större kliv"" [H&M's CEO had a nightmare start: "We need to take bigger steps"]. Dagens industri (in Swedish).
- ^ a b c "Alumna from Umeå University is named most powerful woman in business". Umeå University. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "Stefan Persson lämnar som styrelseordförande i H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB vid årsstämman och föreslår att Karl-Johan Persson efterträder honom. Helena Helmersson har utsetts till ny vd" (in Swedish). 30 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020.
- ^ "Helena Helmersson: Chief Sustainability Officer, H&M". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "Speaker: Helena Helmersson". BSR. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "Helena Helmersson: Head of Sustainability – H&M". Nordic Fashion Association. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ^ "H&M suffers steep loss as pandemic hits sales". FT.
- ^ "H&M profits tumble after Russia exit and soaring costs". FT.
- ^ a b Richard Milne (31 January 2023). "H&M chief quits as fashion chain struggles to lift profits".
- ^ "H&M Replaces CEO With Immediate Effect As Sales And Stock Slump". Forbes. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ "Helena Helmersson hoppar på styrelseuppdrag" [Helena Helmersson jumps at a board position]. Dagens industri (in Swedish). 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Helena Helmersson | 2019 AACSB Influential Leader". www.aacsb.edu. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ Edlund, Roland (18 June 2020). "HM:s vd utsedd till hedersdoktor vid Umeå universitet" [HM's CEO appointed honorary doctorate at Umeå University]. Västerbottens-Kuriren (in Swedish).
- ^ Stoianov, Eva (18 June 2020). "Hållbarhetskämpe blir hedersdoktor" [Sustainability fighter becomes an honorary doctor] (in Swedish). Umeå University.
- ^ "Most Powerful Women". Fortune.
- ^ Armstrong, Lisa (14 November 2020). "H&M's new boss on fashion in 2020: 'We could emerge from this stronger'". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Weimer, Niklas (30 January 2020). "Rutinerad och inflytelserik – det här är H&M:s nya vd" [Seasoned and influential – this is H&M's new CEO]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish).