Helena Helmersson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Helena Helmersson 1973 (age 50–51) |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Occupation | Business 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]
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]
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]
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