Burberry's CEO on Turning An Aging British Icon into a Global Luxury Brand When I became the CEO of Burberry,in July 2006,luxury was one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. With its rich history,centered on trench coats that were recognized around the world, the Burberry brand should have had many advantages. But as I watched my top managers arrive for our first strategic planning meeting, something struck me right away. They had flown in from around the world to classic British weather, gray and damp, but not one of these more than 60 people was wearing a Burberry trench coat. I doubt that many of them even owned one. If our top people weren't buying our products, despite the great discount they could get, how could we expect customers to pay full price for them?