Chiara Berlendi is a principal in Heidrick & Struggles’ Milan office and a member of the global Consumer Markets, Retail & Apparel, and the Marketing, Sales & Strategy Officers practices. She consults and partners with companies of various sizes and ownership structures, including publicly traded corporations, privately held companies, founder/owner companies, and private equity firms. She specializes in the fashion & luxury and consumer lifestyle industries across different categories, covering the apparel, jewelry, leather, beauty, eyewear, home décor sectors, food and beverages. Chiara has experience filling CEO, GM, sales, marketing, and human resources roles. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Chiara worked with a top management search firm, where she started the fashion and luxury practice in 2017. Before that, she worked in a recruitment firm as a consultant within the retail and healthcare practices. She began her career as an intern at Chanel Italy. Having lived across Saudi Arabia, Romania, Belgium, and England, Chiara has experiences in diverse culture environments, which makes her attentive to the D&I narrative, advocating and partnering with clients to help them build their own initiatives and inclusive work environments. A native Italian speaker, Chiara is also fluent in French and English.