1. Yana Peel is a Russian-born Canadian executive, businesswoman, children's author and philanthropist, who is global head of arts and culture at French fashion house Chanel.
33 Facts About Yana Peel
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Yana Peel was CEO of the Serpentine Galleries from 2016 to 2019 and previously a board member.
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Yana Peel has been an advisor to the British Fashion Council, Asia Art Archive, Lincoln Center, Para Site and the Victoria and Albert Museum, where she founded the design fund.
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Yana Peel co-founded the Outset Contemporary Art Fund and Intelligence Squared Asia, and was CEO of Intelligence Squared Group from 2013 to 2016.
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Yana Peel is part of the American Ballet Theatre Global Council and The Met International Council.
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Yana Peel was born in Leningrad in 1974, and her family emigrated to Canada via Austria in 1978.
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Yana Peel studied Russian studies at McGill University in the 1990s.
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Yana Peel undertook a post-graduate degree in economics at the London School of Economics.
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Yana Peel was a member of the 2011 class of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders programme.
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Yana Peel started her career in the equities division of Goldman Sachs in 1997 in London and became an executive director before leaving in 2003.
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Yana Peel is a co-founder of the charity Outset Contemporary Art Fund, which is based in London and was launched in 2003.
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In 2009, Yana Peel co-founded Intelligence Squared Asia with Amelie Von Wedel, a not-for-profit platform for hosting live debates in Hong Kong.
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In 2012 Yana Peel became CEO of Intelligence Squared Group, bringing the live events business out of its financial difficulties.
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Yana Peel has hosted interviews including: Olafur Eliasson and Shirin Neshat at Davos, Ai Wei Wei at the Cambridge Union.
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Yana Peel said it was her "mission to create a safe space for unsafe ideas", and to promote a "socially conscious Serpentine".
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Yana Peel indicated that she wanted to give artists a greater say in the development of the Serpentine Galleries, in order to give "artists a voice in the biggest global conversations".
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Yana Peel worked in tandem with the artistic director, Hans Ulrich Obrist.
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Yana Peel furthered the Serpentine Galleries' technological ambitions, introducing digital engagement initiatives including Serpentine Mobile Tours and the translation of the exhibition Zaha Hadid: Early Paintings and Drawings into virtual reality.
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Yana Peel stated that she was "committed to maintaining and open-source spirit" at the Serpentine Galleries, and that it was her ambition "to inspire the widest audiences with the urgency of art and architecture".
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Yana Peel will be the youngest architect to have participated in the Pavilion programme since it began in 2000.
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Yana Peel stepped down as CEO in June 2019 as a consequence of the attention paid to her alleged co-ownership of NSO Group.
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However, a later clarification published by The Guardian confirmed that Yana Peel was not involved in the management, operations or control of NSO.
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Yana Peel was not personally involved in the operation or decisions of Novalpina Capital, which was managed by her husband.
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In March 2020, Yana Peel joined Chanel as the new global head of arts and culture and a board member of Fondation Chanel.
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Yana Peel leads Chanel's initiatives across arts and culture globally and has played a key role in advancing its association with the arts.
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Yana Peel launched Chanel Connects and the Chanel Culture Fund, which partners with cultural institutions in countries around the world to help champion new ideas and foster creativity.
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Yana Peel is considered one of the art world's power brokers and forges notable partnerships, while remaining committed to democratising art appreciation.
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Yana Peel has established global initiatives with leading cultural institutions such as the Pompidou, National Portrait Gallery, Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, Rijksmuseum, Power Station of Art, Australian Ballet, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and others.
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Yana Peel is responsible for collaborations with cultural leaders, including Maria Balshaw, Tristram Hunt at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Nicholas Cullinan at the NPG and National Theatre director Rufus Norris.
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Yana Peel co-chaired Para Site, a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Hong Kong, from 2010 to 2015.
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Yana Peel has been involved with the project since 2009.
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Yana Peel founded the Victoria and Albert Museum's design fund in 2011.
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In 1999, Yana Peel married Stephen Yana Peel, a private equity financier.