CEO of the British Style Council Laura Weir.
Dave Benett | Dave Benett Assortment | Getty Pictures
The British Style Council’s latest CEO is bringing her personal management aptitude to the function, touting resilience as a prime trait to navigate tough occasions amid tariffs and financial uncertainty.
Laura Weir, a former inventive director at Selfridges, was appointed head of the non-profit group in April 2025, succeeding 16-year business veteran Caroline Rush.
In a dialog with CNBC’s Tania Bryer throughout London Style Week — which Weir is accountable for organizing — the style boss opened up about how she faces difficult choices.
“Have a scorching bathtub, a cup of tea and regroup myself,” Weir advised Bryer. “Look, there are all the time going to be challenges. It’s important to, sort of, keep resilient. I feel resilience is a very necessary high quality, and I sort of dig deep and transfer on, all the time.”
Weir’s first month as CEO coincided with President Donald Trump slamming “reciprocal” tariffs on over 180 international locations on April 2, with levies hitting areas which might be key manufacturing bases for the style business.
This contains China, the place manufacturers like Prada and Zara outsource manufacturing, Vietnam, the place Nike produces most of its footwear, and Pakistan, which is vital in producing denim objects. In the meantime, the EU —which accounts for over 70% of the worldwide luxurious items market — can also be going through duties.
David Pemsel, chairman of the British Style Council, stated in April that the tariffs “pose a critical concern for the group, forcing many to decide on between worth hikes and tighter margins.” He stated the council was working with the U.Ok. Division of Enterprise and Commerce to advocate for tariff-free entry for U.Ok. trend items into the U.S. market.
Weir described the tariffs as “very difficult,” however struck an optimistic tone, highlighting the significance of relationships with American counterparts.
“I hope that we are able to discover a method by working with our American counterparts, to try to clarify the affect and the true phrases problem that that places on the business,” she stated.
“I imply, when it comes to our designers who’re already challenged, it may actually have an effect on their skill to commerce and be commercially profitable and finally viable. So we’re working onerous on the BFC to assist our American counterparts actually perceive the true affect of their choices.”
In reality, a current world survey of over 1,000 enterprise leaders throughout a wide range of sectors by advisory platform Consulting.us discovered that over 60% consider resilience is the No. 1 most necessary high quality for firm bosses, as they navigate tariffs and financial uncertainty.
Good leaders pay attention
When requested to explain her management model, Weir emphasised the significance of listening to these round her.
“I feel it is actually necessary as a contemporary chief and a CEO to be open to dialog and dialog. So I feel rightly figuring out the challenges that we’re going through and likewise among the optimistic positives,” she stated.
“And I am actually open for dialog with our patrons, with our group, with the designers, with politicians, and I wish to sort of construct these relationships and strategy it in a really inclusive method.”
Among the most well-known enterprise leaders — from Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi — have additionally described listening and conversing with staff on the bottom as a key management high quality.
Jassy, for instance, stated the very best leaders acknowledge various viewpoints that differ from their very own and might admit when their concepts are fallacious.
A boss’ job is commonly to get “the suitable individuals in a room” to present their suggestions and concepts, to allow them to pay attention and weigh the potential choices, he stated
Khosrowshahi, who moonlighted as an Uber driver to find out about and enhance the motive force expertise, stated listening is likely one of the most necessary abilities he discovered from his mentor.
“There are every kind of programs on government management, and I nonetheless have not seen a course on listening,” he stated. “But the frequent theme I’ve seen in life and with executives which might be very excessive up on the ladder is that the upper you go in an organization, the much less you really learn about what’s actually taking place on the bottom.”
