Yana Peel

Yana Peel (born June 1974) is a Canadian executive, businesswoman, children's author and philanthropist who is currently global head of arts and culture at Chanel.[2][3] She was CEO of the Serpentine Galleries from 2016 to 2019, and was previously a board member.[4][5]

Yana Peel
Born
Yana Mirkin[1]

June 1974 (age 46)
Leningrad, USSR (now Russia)
NationalityCanadian
Alma materMcGill University
London School of Economics
TitleGlobal Head Arts and Culture, Chanel
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1999)​
Children5

Peel is a co-founder of the Outset Contemporary Art Fund (with Candida Gertler), and Intelligence Squared Asia, and was CEO of Intelligence Squared Group from 2013 to 2016.[6]

Peel has several advisory positions including the Tate International Council, V-A-C Foundation, and the NSPCC therapeutic board.[7][8] She 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.[7][9][10][8]

Early life

Yana Peel was born in June 1974[11] in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia. Her family emigrated to Canada via Austria in 1978.[4] She grew up in Toronto, Ontario.[12]

Peel studied Russian studies at McGill University during the 1990s. [13][4][1] In 1996,[14] while being a student she co-organised a fashion show for charity.[1][7][15] After that, Peel undertook a post-graduate degree in economics at the London School of Economics.[4][12] Peel was a member of the 2011 class of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders programme.[16]

Career

Goldman Sachs

Peel started her career in the equities division of Goldman Sachs in 1997 in London, and became an executive director before leaving in 2003.[17][7][4][2]

Outset Contemporary Art Fund

Peel co-founded the charity Outset Contemporary Art Fund in 2003 with Candida Gertler.[18][7][12] Peel and Gertler generated a model whereby artists could be presented to potential donors in order to raise funds to purchase their work, or to fund new commissions with a view to donating them to public institutions.[7] The Fund purchased over 100 pieces for the Tate Modern, and commissioned work by artists including Francis Alys, Yael Bartana, Candice Breitz and Steve McQueen.[7][17]

Intelligence Squared

In 2009, Peel co-founded Intelligence Squared Asia with Amelie Von Wedel, a not-for-profit platform for hosting live debates in Hong Kong.[19][18][20] In 2012 Peel became CEO of Intelligence Squared Group,[19][21] bringing the live events business out of its financial difficulties.[7] Peel has hosted interviews including: Olafur Eliasson and Shirin Neshat at Davos,[22] Ai Wei Wei at the Cambridge Union.[23]

Serpentine Galleries

In April 2016, Peel was appointed to the role of CEO of the Serpentine Galleries.[24][4] Peel said it was her "mission to create a safe space for unsafe ideas",[2] and to promote a "socially conscious Serpentine".[12] She 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".[12] Peel worked in tandem with the artistic director, Hans Ulrich Obrist.[7]

Peel furthered the Serpentine Galleries' technological ambitions, introducing digital engagement initiatives including Serpentine Mobile Tours[25] and the translation of the exhibition Zaha Hadid: Early Paintings and Drawings into Virtual Reality.[26][27] Peel stated that she was "committed to maintaining and open-source spirit"[28] at the Serpentine Galleries, and that it was her ambition "to inspire the widest audiences with the urgency of art and architecture".[2] The Financial Times noted that Peel "has been able to lure companies such as Google and Bloomberg as partners to help meet the Serpentine's annual £9.5m target".[25]

Peel and Obrist selected both the first African architect to work on a pavilion,[29] and the youngest architect to do so.[30] In 2018, she broadened the global reach of the Serpentine Pavilion programme by announcing the launch of a pavilion in Beijing designed by Sichuan practice, Jiakun Architects.[31]

Together with Lord Richard Rogers and Sir David Adjaye, Peel and Obrist selected Burkina Faso architect Diébédo Francis Kéré to design the 2017 pavilion.[32] The pavilion was awarded the Civic Trust Award in 2018.[33]

The Serpentine selected Mexican architect Frida Escobedo to design the 2018 pavilion. She will be the youngest architect to have participated in the Pavilion programme since it began in 2000.[30]

She stepped down as CEO in June 2019 as a consequence of the attention paid to her co-ownership of NSO Group, an Israeli cyberweapons company whose software has allegedly been used by authoritarian regimes to spy on dissidents.[5]

Philanthropy

Peel co-chaired Para Site, a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Hong Kong, from 2010 to 2015.[34] She has been involved with the project since 2009.[18]

Peel founded the Victoria and Albert Museum's design fund in 2011.[10] The fund supported the acquisition of contemporary design objects.[10]

Peel is a member of NSPCC's therapeutic board.[8] Inspired by her children, in 2008 Peel produced a series of toddler-friendly art books published by Templar, including: Art For Baby, Color For Baby and Faces For Baby.[35] These books feature works by artists ranging from Damien Hirst to Keith Haring. Proceeds from the sales of the books go towards the NSPCC.[36]

Personal life

In 1999, Peel married Stephen Peel,[37] a private equity financier.[38] They have five children and live in Bayswater, London.[38][39]

Awards and honours
  • Montblanc Award for Arts Patronage 2011[40]
  • Debrett's 500 List: Art[41]
  • Evening Standard Progress 1000 2017[42]
  • ArtLyst Power 100[43]
  • Harper's Bazaar Women Of The Year 2017[28]
  • Harper's Bazaar Working Wardrobe: Best dressed women 2018[44]
  • Henry Crown Fellow. Appointed by the Aspen Institute in 2018.[45]

References
  1. "McGill Reporter - Volume 28 Number 11". reporter-archive.mcgill.ca. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  2. Bailey, Sarah. "In Conversation: Art and Fashion Are Both About Desire", Red, London, 1 November 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  3. Conti, Samantha (15 January 2021). "'Chanel Connects,' a New Podcast Series, Looks at the Arts, Pop Culture". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  4. McElvoy, Anne. "In The Hot Seat", Porter, London, 1 December 2016.
  5. Greenfield, Patrick (18 June 2019). "Serpentine Galleries chief resigns in spyware firm row". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 June 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
  6. Sloway, Diane. "Meet Yana Peel, the Audacious Canadian Who's Transforming London's Famed Serpentine Galleries", W Magazine, 29 November 2016. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  7. Bourne, Henry. "L’alchimista", La Repubblica, Rome, 8 May 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  8. "Serpentine Galleries Announce Appointment of Outset’s Yana Peel As CEO", ArtLyst, 13 April 2016. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  9. "Lincoln Center Annual Report 2014/2015", Lincoln Center, 2015. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  10. "The Design Fund", Victoria and Albert Museum, Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  11. "THE SERPENTINE TRUST - Officers (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  12. Solel, Hannah. "Liquid Lunch: Yana Peel on the Serpentine’s next phase", Spear's, 30 January 2018. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  13. Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (10 June 2017). "Hitting it out of the park — the new Serpentine queen". The Times.
  14. "McGill Reporter". reporter-archive.mcgill.ca (Volume 28 Number 13). 21 March 1996.
  15. McGill University, Daily Publications Society (2 March 1995). "The McGill Daily Culture Vol. 84 No. 063: March 2, 1995". Montréal : McGill University, Daily Publications Society. Retrieved 19 February 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  16. Peel, Yana. "Discovering Russia", World Economic Forum, Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  17. Maneker, Marion. "The Tate's Secret Weapon: Outset", ArtMarketMonitor.com, 25 August 2009. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  18. Street, Chloe. "Zaha Hadid: The Artist Within", Tatler, Hong Kong, March 2017.
  19. Crichton-Miller, Emma. "Club class upgrade", Financial Times, 7 September 2012. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  20. "About Us", Intelligence Squared Asia, Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  21. Clark, Simon. "Top TPG Dealmaker Stephen Peel to Leave Firm", Wall Street Journal, 20 June 2014. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  22. Dickie, Anna. "A conversation with Yana Peel", Ocula, 14 May 2014. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  23. "Ai Weiwei: Artist And Activist To Speak At Cambridge Union", ArtLyst, 13 June 2016. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  24. Theodosi, Natalie. "Porter Magazine Kickstarts ‘Incredible Women’ Talk Series With Yana Peel", Women's Wear Daily, 2 February 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  25. Abrams, Melanie. "How digital media are transforming art collections", Financial Times, 15 December 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  26. Mairs, Jessica. "Zaha Hadid's abstract paintings translated into immersive virtual reality experiences at Serpentine Gallery", Dezeen, 1 February 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  27. "Zaha Hadid at Serpentine Galleries", Google Arts & Culture, Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  28. "Women of the Year: Contribution to the Arts Yana Peel"], Harper's Bazaar, 1 December 2017
  29. Wainwright, Oliver. "Francis Kéré becomes first African architect of Serpentine pavilion", The Guardian, 21 February 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  30. Stott, Rory. "Mexican Architect Frida Escobedo Selected to Design 2018 Serpentine Pavilion", ArchDaily, 8 February 2018. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  31. Mairs, Jessica. "First foreign Serpentine Pavilion will be built in China this year", Dezeen, 31 January 2018. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  32. Mairs, Jessica. "Diébédo Francis Kéré unveils tree-inspired Serpentine Pavilion with central waterfall", Dezeen, 20 June 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  33. Hanckey, Malcolm. "2018 Winners - Civic Trust Awards, Pro-Tem Awards & AABC Conservation Awards", Civic Trust, 14 December 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  34. "Toby at 176", Zabludowicz Collection, 10 October 2010. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  35. Duerden, Nick. "Picasso helps baby see the big picture", The Independent, 31 January 2013. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  36. Peel, Yana. "Art For Baby (Hardback)", Waterstones. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  37. "A conversation with Yana Peel". Ocula.com. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  38. Clark, Simon (20 June 2014). "Top TPG Dealmaker Stephen Peel to Leave Firm". WSJ.com. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  39. Diane Solway. Meet Yana Peel, the Audacious Canadian Who's Transforming London's Famed Serpentine Galleries, W magazine, November 29, 2016
  40. "25th Anniversary Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award", Montblanc. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  41. "Debrett's 500 List: Art", The Telegraph, 20 January 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  42. "The Progress 1000: London's top influencers 2017 - Visualisers: Artists & Curators", Evening Standard, 19 October 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  43. "Alt Power 100 ArtLyst 2017 – Meet The Alternative Powerhouses", ArtLyst, 31 October 2017. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  44. "Working wardrobe: Best dressed women", Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved on 19 February 2018.
  45. "Aspen Institute Mobilizes New Generation of Leaders to Positively Impact Society". The Aspen Institute. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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