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Helena Helmersson
Born
Helena Helmersson

1973 (age 50–51)
NationalitySwedish
OccupationBusiness executive
Organization(s)Former chief executive (2020-24), H&M

Helena Helmersson (born 1973) is a Swedish former business executive. From 2010 to 2020, she was head of sustainability at the Swedish retail clothing company H&M, [1] and from 2020 to 2024 she was its CEO. [2]

Early life

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. [1]

Career

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. [3] [4] 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. [5]

In March 2014, Helmersson was listed as Sweden's "Most Powerful Woman in Business" by the weekly business magazine Veckans Affärer. [1]

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. [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]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Alumna from Umeå University is named most powerful woman in business". Umeå University. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "Helena Helmersson: Chief Sustainability Officer, H&M". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Speaker: Helena Helmersson". BSR. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Helena Helmersson: Head of Sustainability – H&M". Nordic Fashion Association. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Helena Helmersson | 2019 AACSB Influential Leader". www.aacsb.edu. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  7. ^ "H&M suffers steep loss as pandemic hits sales". FT.
  8. ^ "H&M profits tumble after Russia exit and soaring costs". FT.
  9. ^ a b Richard Milne (31 January 2023). "H&M chief quits as fashion chain struggles to lift profits".
  10. ^ "H&M Replaces CEO With Immediate Effect As Sales And Stock Slump". Forbes. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2024.