Chronicle 2019

By Katharine Brickman 2007

J ennifer Carter fondly recalls receiving her first Hermès scarf. It was a confirmation gift in eighth grade. “Everyone else received traditional presents, while my parents gifted me a Hermès scarf,” she says. Today Jennifer is the president and CEO of Hermès Canada. She finds in her attachment to Havergal and Hermès a common core: the longstanding and uncompromised values and integrity of both institutions. Having graduated from Havergal in 1974, Jennifer attended the American College of Barcelona and then began her career as an assistant in an investment stockbrokers’ office in California. “I didwell there,” she says, “and I owe that early success to Havergal, where I learned how to be conscientious and professional.” Jennifer returned to Toronto a few years later. She completed a training program, spent a short stint on the stock exchange floor and worked as an investment advisor before realizing that her passions lay elsewhere. “I wanted to really believe in and be excited about what I was selling,” she says. Having always been interested in craftsmanship and fashion, she pivoted into luxury retail. Entrepreneurial and a fast learner, Jennifer started as an associate at the luxury department store Creeds and quickly worked her way up to a management position at the Hermès boutique in Yorkville. There, a seed was planted. After studying order slips

and receipts from the previous few years, Jennifer learned that Hermès scarves were in high demand. Jennifer adjusted the buy accordingly, increasing the boutique’s inventory of the brand’s famed silk scarves and growing the store’s sales. When a chance arose to partner officially with Hermès in Canada, Jennifer did not hesitate. “I recognized the opportunity and was ready for the challenge,” she says. Jennifer credits her industriousness and perseverance to her education at Havergal. As a young girl, she was aware that her neighbourhood friends attended the school. “I so badly wanted to go with them,” she says. “One day, I came home and lying on my bed, waiting for me, was the Havergal uniform. I was so happy!” As a “survivor,” Jennifer is proud to have grown up at Havergal and appreciates the safe and grounding environment the school provided. “Havergal kept me level. I did not have a lot of self-confidence in my early years, but my teachers and schoolmates developed my ability to be confident and courageous and encouraged me to take risks,” she says. “Havergal gave me a foundation to lead.” Jennifer sees similarities in her connection to Hermès and Havergal. “Both Havergal and Hermès share a commitment and focus on delivering excellence,” she says, “and both took a chance on me.” Jennifer recently marked her 30th anniversary with Hermès, and she looks forward to celebrating her 45th Havergal Reunion this year.

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PHOTO: NIAMH BARRY 2009