“Yo, I ain’t a businesswoman, I’m a business, woman /And I’m known for giving b*tches the business, woman” – so Nicki Minaj once sang/rapped, empowering women everywhere, presumably. Which doesn’t really have anything to do with the news today that Chanel’s CEO has today stepped down, apart from the fact that she too was a businesswoman – Maureen Chiquet, the Global CEO to be exact. Apparently, it came down to “differences of opinion about the strategic direction of the company,” according to the usually reputable WWD. The French house themselves have a more positive stance in their official release – “Chanel is grateful for what Maureen has done to bring Chanel into a new era of its development, in close collaboration with the leadership team, and wishes her continued success”. Let’s leave the last word to King Karl because, well, he always has the last word – “I hardly knew her,” he told WWD. “We didn’t really work with her.” Well that’s that then. She’ll be replaced with Alain Wertheimer, a French billionaire.
