Big senior leadership shakeup at Nike
Heidi O’Neill, currently president of consumer and marketplace, will become president of consumer, product and brand, Nike, Inc., and Craig Williams, currently president of Jordan brand, will become president, geographies and marketplace, Nike, Inc. Matthew Friend, EVP and chief financial officer at Nike, Inc., will expand his responsibilities to include procurement, global places and services, and demand and supply management.
John Donahoe, president and CEO at Nike, Inc. commented, “We’re driving even greater focus and integration across our business and teams through these changes, doubling down on what Nike does best: seamlessly serving athletes with compelling product. Our brand momentum is strong, our innovation pipeline is unmatched, and our strategy is working. What continues to be clear is that there’s so much more potential ahead of us.
“These shifts will allow us to streamline our focus across product, brand storytelling and marketplace, mining deep consumer insights to deliver breakthrough innovation and engagement, while building long-term growth and profitability.”
O’Neill a Nike veteran
The group said O’Neill will lead Nike’s global product engine and fully integrate its brand marketing storytelling to build deep relationships and engagement with the brand. Both global brand marketing and global sports marketing will also report to O’Neill.
A 24-year Nike veteran, O’Neill most recently served as Nike’s president, consumer and marketplace, leading Nike’s marketplace and four geographic operating regions. Previous roles included president, Nike direct, accelerating Nike’s retail and digital-commerce business. O’Neill was also responsible for creating and leading Nike Women’s business.
Williams will lead Nike’s four geographies and marketplace across its direct and wholesale business. In addition, Williams will lead Nike’s supply chain and logistics. Williams joined Nike, Inc. in 2019 as president, Jordan Brand. During this period, Williams has led Jordan through unprecedented growth – doubling revenue in the last four years, becoming the second-largest footwear brand in the United States.
In addition to stewarding Jordan Brand at the intersection of sport, culture and community, Williams has decades of enterprise experience building global brands and creating deep consumer relationships.
O’Neill and Williams will be supported by a deep bench of leadership across Nike and, together, will lead the business through its next phase of innovation and growth, the company said.
New Jordan president
Sarah Mensah, vice president/GM, North America, will become president of Jordan Brand. Scott Uzzell, currently CEO of Converse will become vice president/GM, North America, reporting to Williams. Uzzell’s successor will be named shortly. Jordan Brand and Converse will report to John Donahoe.
Andy Campion, chief operating officer, will take on a new leadership role as managing director, strategic business ventures. In his new role, Campion will work closely with Donahoe to identify and pursue new business opportunities to drive disproportionate growth for the company. As part of his new role, Campion will oversee Nike Virtual Studios (NVS) and lead teams across Nike’s world headquarters and Los Angeles-based offices.
Michael Spillane, president of consumer creation, will retire from Nike, Inc. later in 2023 after 16 years with the company.
