Dive Brief:
- The latest step in Nike’s turnaround under Elliott Hill is a series of leadership changes announced Monday, including the retirement of 26-year veteran Heidi O’Neill. O’Neill, who had just been named president of consumer, product and brand two years ago in a leadership reorganization, will serve as an adviser until September.
- Under Hill, who became CEO of the sportswear retailer in October, Nike is separating O’Neill’s responsibilities into “three distinct areas:” marketing, consumer and sport, and product creation (which houses innovation and design). Those roles will now report to Hill, according to a company press release.
- Amy Montagne, Nike’s vice president and general manager of the global women’s business, is now president of the Nike brand, while footwear vice president Phil McCartney has been named chief innovation, design and product officer. Tom Clarke, a strategic adviser to the CEO, is now chief growth initiatives officer.
Dive Insight:
Just two years after shuffling its executive structure, Nike is at it again with a new leadership team and structure that will “better line up and leverage all the advantages that make Nike great,” according to Hill.
The changes put Montagne in charge of all sports at the Nike brand, as well as the namesake banner’s growth more broadly. Meanwhile, McCartney will oversee product creation for Nike, Jordan and Converse, and Chief Marketing Officer Nicole Graham, who has added executive vice president to her title, will lead storytelling at all three brands.
“These exceptional leaders bring extensive Nike experience and have been instrumental in resetting our priorities to lead with sport and put the athlete at the center of everything we do,” Hill said in a statement. At the same time, he praised O’Neill as “a true champion for Nike” and said she has “left an indelible mark on Nike” over the years.
All four promotions are going to long-time Nike veterans, with Montagne serving at the retailer for 20 years, McCartney racking up almost three decades of experience at the sportswear retailer and Clarke spending 45 years at the business. Graham took a brief break from Nike before rejoining the company in 2023, but previously spent 18 years with the retailer.
The appointments build on a series of leadership changes Hill has made since his arrival, including a new general manager of North America, a new leader of global sports marketing and other shuffling at the executive level. Hill is working on a multifaceted turnaround at the sportswear retailer that includes steering the retailer back to its wholesale partners and correcting for a DTC strategy that went too far, as well as rightsizing key footwear styles that had flooded the market.
Meanwhile, sales continue to tumble, with revenue down 9% in the retailer’s latest quarter and 10% in the period before Hill joined. That was all before tariffs threatened the business. Nike joined a host of footwear retailers last week in requesting an exemption from the Trump administration’s heavy duties, which will hit footwear companies particularly hard even with their efforts to diversify sourcing.
In addition to financial challenges, Nike lost share with teens in a survey last year, though the retailer is still the top brand for apparel and footwear with the cohort. And the sportswear giant recently announced a new brand in partnership with Kim Kardashian’s Skims aimed at growing its women’s customer base.
