Daniel Ervér: The Insider Steering H&M into a New Era of Fashion
Daniel Ervér, who was born in Sweden in 1981, is a perfect example of a company man in the fast-paced world of global fashion retail. He is only 44 years old (as of November 2025), but he has spent almost his entire professional life at H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB, starting as a summer intern and working his way up to President and CEO. Ervér was hired on January 31, 2024, after Helena Helmersson left the company unexpectedly. He is a sign of stability in a company that has been around since 1947 and is now the second-largest fashion retailer in the world. H&M Group has over 4,300 stores in more than 70 markets and brands like COS, & Other Stories, Arket, and Weekday. Inditex’s Zara is a strong competitor on the high end, and ultra-fast players like Shein are a strong competitor on the low end. Ervér’s job is to bring back growth, make the company more competitive, and show that fast fashion can grow in a way that doesn’t hurt its appeal as a democratic brand.
Ervér’s background is based on Swedish practicality and academic strictness. He got a Master of Science in Business Administration from the University of Gothenburg and also went to the famous ESSEC Business School in Paris, France, as part of an exchange program. His style of running a fashion store is subtly influenced by both Scandinavian efficiency and French flair for style. Ervér’s story is different from those of many CEOs who were brought in from consulting firms or competing brands. He rose to the top on his own. He started working at H&M in the summer of 2005 as a trainee, which shows how the company likes to promote from within. By 2006, he had moved to Stockholm to work as a controller in the design and buying office, where he was in charge of both the creative and financial sides of the business.
His career path is like a masterclass in how to move up in retail. Ervér was in charge of merchandising in important markets like Germany and the US, which are two of H&M’s biggest and most difficult areas. He was the Country Manager for H&M Sweden, where he got to work closely with the company’s headquarters. Later, he was the Purchasing Manager and in charge of the men’s and women’s clothing divisions. He was made head of the core H&M brand in 2020. This brand is the group’s main source of income and makes up most of its sales. Ervér worked on strategies that focused on product variety, supply chain efficiency, and customer-centered innovation while in this role for four years. The board didn’t hesitate to turn to Ervér when Helmersson stepped down, saying that the personal toll of dealing with the pandemic and geopolitical issues was too much for him. Chairman Karl-Johan Persson called him “a competent, experienced, and respected leader” who was perfect for building on the company’s recent profits.
Ervér took over in early 2024, when the world was starting to get better after the pandemic. He took over a company that was getting better but not yet the best. Under Helmersson, H&M focused on keeping costs down and margins high. In Q4 2023, they had a 7.2% operating margin and aimed for 10% in 2024. But sales growth was slow because it was stuck between Zara’s more fashionable, expensive products and Shein’s cheap, algorithm-driven onslaught. During the early part of Ervér’s term, there has been cautious hope. During his first full year as CEO, the group reported steady revenues of SEK 230–240 billion per year. Profits rose, but sales growth was slower than expected, and it was expected to continue into 2025.
Ervér’s strategy is based on four main ideas: offering the best product at the best mix of style, quality, price, and sustainability; being able to respond to trends more quickly; optimizing geography and the supply chain; and using digital technology to come up with new ideas. He has said many times that “creating unbeatable value for our customers” through an inspiring omnichannel experience is very important. Ervér is investing in nearshoring to fight Shein’s speed. This means moving production closer to important markets. This includes possible factories in Latin America for the Americas, Turkey for Europe, and better Asian hubs. The goal is to cut lead times, lower emissions, and quickly respond to new viral trends. H&M said in the middle of 2025 that it would open more stores in 2025 and 2026 after years of closing stores. This shows that the company is confident that physical retail will come back.
Sustainability is still important to Ervér, who sees H&M’s size as both a responsibility and an opportunity. The group reached its goal of reducing plastic packaging use by 54% from 2018 levels ahead of schedule by switching to better materials and optimizing its processes. There were cuts in emissions: 41% in scopes 1 and 2 and 24% in scope 3 compared to 2019 levels. The amount of recycled material in products was close to 30%, which was on track to exceed goals. Ervér supports “responsible fast fashion” and doesn’t like the throwaway model. He has said that “fast fashion is only bad when clothes are worn once and thrown away.” He wants clothes that are durable and desirable so that people will wear them for longer.
Another important part is the integration of digital and AI. Ervér is using AI to predict trends, market to individuals, and even come up with new ideas, like digitally cloning models for campaigns in a way that encourages human creativity. In an interview in 2025, he called AI a tool that can have “positive and potentially negative” effects. This made H&M seem like an ethical leader. His global goals are clear in his plans to open stores in growth markets like Brazil (the first ones will open soon) and to get even more people in the U.S. to buy his products. He also uses music and pop culture tie-ins, like festivals and collaborations, to connect with Gen Z.
Ervér is a quiet but firm leader who works with others, uses data to make decisions, and is true to Swedish values like humility, consensus, and long-term thinking. Employees give him high marks for being effective, which is a sign of how well he knows the organization. He has 450,000 performance-based call options, which align the interests of shareholders, including the powerful Persson family.
There are still problems as of late 2025. In Q1, profits fell because of investments, and investors want things to happen faster. Competitors change quickly, and macroeconomic headwinds, such as inflation and changing consumer spending, are on the horizon. But Ervér is still sure: “We are on the right track,” he says, putting growth ahead of margin protection.
Daniel Ervér is not a flashy disruptor; he is the steady hand that guides H&M’s growth. His rise from trainee to titan shows how the company values accessibility and ambition. Ervér bets on balanced, long-term growth in an industry that is often criticized for being too big. This shows that a 78-year-old giant can still set trends instead of just following them. The fashion world is still waiting to see if he can fully bring back H&M’s glory days, but his insider’s view gives us a clear way to move forward.