Caroline Rush

Caroline Rush CBE is a marketing professional who is Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council.^[1][2]

Her role is to promote the British fashion industry, particularly through organising London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Awards^[3]

Caroline Rush started working in public relations and marketing in about 1992.^[4] Her association with the British Fashion Council started in 1998, when she was employed by Annette Worsley-Taylor Associates, who were the creative and marketing consultants for the London Fashion Week.^[4] She started a public relations agency called Crush Communications in 2002,^[4] and became managing director.^[5] The British Fashion Council appointed this company as the press office for all British Fashion Council initiatives, including the London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Awards, with Rush as a public relations strategy adviser to the British Fashion Council.^[4]

Rush was appointed British Fashion Council joint chief executive in March 2009.^[4][6][7] As joint Chief Executive, she oversaw the Council’s move into Somerset House in 2009.^[8][9] In a restructuring, Rush became sole chief executive in June 2012.^[2] Rush "played a key role in attracting brands such as Burberry and Pringle and British designers such as Antonio Berardi and Jonathan Saunders back to London."^[6][10] Hilary Alexander credited Rush with changing London Fashion Week from being a 'poor cousin' compared with Paris, Milan and New York, "and showing that Britain is really where it all begins".^[11]

Rush lives in Wimbledon.^[8] Her husband, Matt, is a PE teacher.^[7] Her daughter, Lana, was born 9 February 1997, and played in junior Wimbledon 2012.^[12]

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to the British fashion industry.^[13][14]

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