Burberry brings in Costa chief for digital transformation

Luxury fashion brand Burberry is ramping up its data-driven strategy with the appointment of a senior executive from Costa Coffee to spearhead the company’s digital transformation.

Charlotte Baldwin, who has more than 25 years’ experience in tech roles, is currently serving as global chief digital and information officer at Costa and has been instrumental in reshaping the company’s digital and data capabilities.

Prior to that, she spearheaded digital and transformation strategies at Bupa Insurance and held senior positions at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Pearson, and Thomson Reuters.

Baldwin will assume her new role as chief information officer at the end of March, leading Burberry’s global tech operations and joining the executive committee; she will report directly to CEO Joshua Schulman.

With a heritage dating back to 1856, the brand had established a strong presence in the luxury market but in recent years has moved beyond traditional marketing and retail approaches to maintain its relevance and appeal to a new generation of consumers by create a more personalised and immersive brand experience.

With more than 400 stores in 50 countries, the company’s digital strategy was first formulated in 2006 and is now fully embedded within the organisation.

By leveraging data and analytics, Burberry has been able to make informed decisions, optimise its marketing strategies, and ultimately achieve a higher ROI from its digital campaigns.

Burberry’s digital team, which Baldwin will now lead, has been assembled from various departments, including marketing, IT, ecommerce, and customer service.

Schulman said: “Charlotte is a highly experienced technology and digital leader with a track record of leading large-scale digital transformation. I am delighted that Charlotte will be joining our leadership team and look forward to working with her to advance our technological capabilities and drive our strategy forward.”