Yana Peel

Yana Peel (nee Mirkin, born 1974) is a Russian-born Canadian executive, businesswoman, children's author and philanthropist, who is president of arts, culture and heritage at French fashion house Chanel. She was CEO of the Serpentine Galleries from 2016 to 2019 and previously a board member. 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.

Peel co-founded Outset Contemporary Art Fund and Intelligence Squared Asia, and was CEO of Intelligence Squared Group from 2013 to 2016. She is part of the American Ballet Theatre Global Council and The Met International Council. Peel is a judge for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2024.

Early life She was born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in 1974 and her family emigrated to Canada via Austria in 1978. She studied Russian studies at McGill University in the 1990s. while a student, she co-organised a fashion show for charity. Peel undertook a post-graduate degree in economics at the London School of Economics.

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. In 2012 Peel became CEO of Intelligence Squared Group, bringing the live events business out of its financial difficulties. Ai Wei Wei at the Cambridge Union.

Serpentine Galleries

In April 2016, Peel was appointed to the role of CEO of the Serpentine Galleries.

Peel furthered the Serpentine Galleries' technological ambitions by introducing digital engagement initiatives including Serpentine Mobile Tours and the translation of the exhibition Zaha Hadid: Early Paintings and Drawings into virtual reality. 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". and the youngest architect to do so. 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.

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

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.

Chanel

In March 2020, Peel joined Chanel as the new global head of arts and culture and a board member of Fondation Chanel. Peel leads Chanel’s initiatives across arts and culture globally and has played a key role in advancing its association with the arts.

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. Peel is considered one of the art world’s power brokers and forges notable partnerships, while remaining committed to democratising art appreciation.

Peel is responsible for Chanel’s art partners programmes. She 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. She is also 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.

Philanthropy Peel co-chaired Para Site, a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Hong Kong, from 2010 to 2015. She has been involved with the project since 2009. The books feature works by artists ranging from Damien Hirst to Keith Haring. Proceeds from sales go towards the NSPCC.

Personal life In 1999, Peel married Stephen Peel, a private equity financier. They have two children and live in Bayswater, London.

Awards and honours Montblanc Award for Arts Patronage 2011 Debrett's 500 List: Art Evening Standard Progress 1000 2017 ArtLyst Power 100 Harper's Bazaar Women Of The Year 2017 Henry Crown Fellow. Appointed by the Aspen Institute in 2018. Number Two in Tatler's best dressed list 2023 WWD Women in Power list 2025