Nike President & CEO Mark Parker Is Officially Stepping Down
Experienced executive John Donahoe will take his place.
Continuing the current executive shake-up happening within major sportswear companies, Mark Parker has just announced that he is officially stepping down from his long-time role as Nike‘s President and CEO, and will instead assume an Executive Chairman position within the company. Parker has been the company’s CEO since 2006 and Chairman, President & CEO since 2016.
Taking his place will be John Donahoe, who is currently the President and CEO of ServiceNow, Inc. Donahoe is an experienced executive who previously served as Chairman of PayPal Holdings, Inc., President and CEO of eBay, Inc., as well as CEO and Worldwide Managing Director of Bain & Co.
“I am delighted John will join our team,” Parker said in an official statement. “His expertise in digital commerce, technology, global strategy and leadership combined with his strong relationship with the brand, make him ideally suited to accelerate our digital transformation and to build on the positive impact of our Consumer Direct Offense. I look forward to continuing to lead the Board as Executive Chairman, as well as partnering closely with John and the management team to help him transition to his new role.”
Donahoe has been on the Board of Nike since 2014 and notes that he is excited to up his responsibilities within the company. “It is an honor to become President and CEO of this amazing, innovative company, and to join the more than 76,000 talented and passionate employees dedicated to serving athletes,” he says. “Over the last five years, I’ve been proud to be connected to Nike through my role on the Board and now look forward to being a full-time member of the team, working even more closely with Mark, building on Nike’s success and seizing the opportunities ahead.”
Once the change is effective beginning January 13, 2020, Parker will continue to lead Nike’s Board of Directors and plans to work closely with Donahoe and the company’s senior management team.
In addition to Parker’s departure from Nike, Kevin Plank has also decided to step down as Under Armour’s CEO and adidas executive Eric Liedtke will be leaving his post by the end of this year.
