GM’s new board member comes from luxury handbag world

General Motors is tapping a luxury accessory brands’ executive for its board of directors.

On Tuesday, GM announced that Joanne Crevoiserat has joined the automaker’s board effective immediately.

Crevoiserat, 58, is CEO of Tapestry, Inc., a New York-based company that sells such luxury accessories as Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman.

“Joanne’s approach to driving growth, which focuses on integrating data-driven insights to elevate the consumer experience, will be invaluable to GM as we launch our all-electric portfolio, introduce additional software-based services, and scale businesses in new markets,” said GM CEO Mary Barra in a statement.

Barra said as GM transforms, it looks to increase brand loyalty and attract new customers, “which is exactly what Joanne has done at Tapestry.”

The Board routinely refreshes its board members, GM spokeswoman Colleen Oberc told the Free Press.

“The Board’s Governance Committee routinely evaluates the Board’s composition to ensure directors bring diverse viewpoints and perspectives, as well as the skill sets required as GM’s strategy evolves,” Oberc said. 

Crevoiserat joined Tapestry in 2019 as CFO. She became CEO in 2020. She is also on Tapestry’s board of directors and is a member of the Business Roundtable, which Barra chairs. The Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies who work together to promote economic growth. 

Under Crevoiserat’s leadership, Tapestry has been ranked among Newsweek’s “America’s Most Responsible Companies” and Forbes’ “Best Employers for Diversity.” 

She has held various financial and operational roles throughout her career focusing on company transformation. She has held leadership positions at Abercrombie & Fitch, Kohl’s Corporation, Walmart Inc. and May Department Stores.

Crevoiserat graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor of science degree in finance.

“This is an exciting time to join the GM Board,” Crevoiserat said in a statement. “The company is innovating across every part of the business to drive growth.”

GM has said it will sell all zero emission vehicles by 2035 and it strives to be carbon neutral by 2040. The automaker is in the process of introducing some 30 new EVs over the next three years. The most recent to launch are the GMC Hummer pickup and the Cadillac Lyriq SUV.

GM’s board now has 12 directors, six of whom are women. The board’s leadership has experience across manufacturing, information technology, digital commerce, retail, higher education, investment management, international affairs, defense, transportation, cybersecurity, and pharmaceuticals.