The British Fashion Council (BFC) has appointed Pavita Cooper as chair effective 1 October 2026, according to The Industry.fashion. She succeeds David Pemsel, who steps down on 30 September, after ten years on the BFC board, the last four of them as chair. Pemsel had joined the organisation as a non-executive director in 2016 before becoming chair in 2022.
Pavita Cooper has held senior positions at Lloyds Banking Group and Christie's. She currently sits on the board of the Old Vic and the King's Trust, and also chairs the 30% Club, a campaign aimed at increasing the presence of women in corporate leadership.
She said her priority would be to promote fashion as a driver of growth in the UK. « My priority will be to champion fashion as an important driver of UK growth and help strengthen the environment in which British designers, entrepreneurs and businesses can start, scale and compete globally », she said, also thanking David Pemsel for his service to the BFC and to the fashion industry.
A reshaped board
Caroline Issa, chief executive officer of Tank magazine, takes on the new position of deputy chair, a role newly created within the BFC. She already sat on the organisation's board prior to this appointment.
Laura Weir, who became chief executive officer of the BFC last year, highlighted the complementary nature of this new governance structure. « Alongside Caroline Issa as Deputy Chair, who brings her deep industry expertise and close connections to the fashion community, we have a combination of insight, influence and industry experience to help the BFC team deliver for British fashion », she said.
For his part, David Pemsel said that this blend of expertise reflects the diversity and ambition of the BFC's strategy, adding that Pavita Cooper's appointment as chair directly addresses the need to strengthen the organisation's capacity to engage with government and support the industry.
This reshaping of the board comes as the BFC continues to pursue its BFC 2030 strategy, which aims for a 38% increase in gross annual revenue by 2030, to reach £18 million, up from £14 million reported in the 2024-25 financial year. The organisation is also running the Fashion Britain programme, which covers seven British cities in September, with more than 1,000 events and more than 100 member designers involved.
