Lana J. Marks (born November 18, 1953) is a South African-born American business executive who founded the eponymous fashion brand. She is the former United States Ambassador to South Africa, having served from 2020[1] to 2021.
Marks was the CEO and designer of Lana Marks, a fashion accessories brand which specializes in exotic leathers and is known for creating some of the world's most expensive handbags.[7][8][9] When Helen Mirren won an Academy Award in 2007, she carried a handbag designed by Marks to the stage.[2] Her daughter currently runs the brand.[10] The Lana Marks company has stores in Palm Beach, New York, Beverly Hills, and Dubai.[6]
Marks’s rumored appointment to the ambassadorship was leaked from a source within the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa's foreign affairs department.[11] On November 14, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Marks to be the United States Ambassador to South Africa. Marks had known Trump for more than two decades and was a member of his Mar-a-Lago club.[12] She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 2019.[13] She was sworn into office on October 4, 2019,[14] and arrived at her posting on November 9, 2019, and presented her diplomatic credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa on January 28, 2020.[15][1]
Marks has been a member of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort since 2010.[16] She was among several Mar-a-Lago members to be chosen by Trump for a role in his administration.[17]
Marks stated that her primary goals include youth and women’s empowerment.[18] During her first sixty days, Marks launched two major initiatives, to invite all of Africa's leaders to a U.S.-Africa investment summit in Washington D.C., and to lift South Africa into a top-20 U.S. trading partner.[1]
In March 2020, Marks refused to quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 at an event at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s club in Florida.[21] In December 2020, Marks spent 10 days in intensive care with Covid-19.[22]
As a Trump political appointee ambassador, she resigned from the office following the inauguration of President Joe Biden on 20 January 2021 and was succeeded by John GroarkeasCharge d'Affaires ad interim.[23]
Marks has been married to Dr. Neville Marks, a practicing psychiatrist affiliated with JFK Medical Center, since 1976.[24] Marks and her husband later lived in Bermuda before moving to Florida in 1987.[2][6] She has two children.[25]
Marks was a personal friend of Diana, Princess of Wales.[26] According to Marks, the two women had planned a four-day trip to Italy for the end of August 1997. Marks canceled at the last minute when Marks's father had a heart attack. Diana went to Paris with her partner Dodi Fayed where they were killed in a car accident.[27]