Brewer is, first and foremost, an outstanding leader in her own right with a distinguished track record at corporate giants like Starbucks and Walmart.

She will also become the only Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company when she takes the reins in March, with Pessina moving into the role of executive chair.

Just days after the United States swore in its first African-American and Asian-American vice-president – as well as its first-ever female VP – it is of huge consequence, at a time of heightened awareness of racial inequality, that a major corporation has backed up its rhetoric on diversity by making Brewer the most senior member of its leadership team.