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Nike is shaking up its senior leadership team, announcing an exit and several key promotions across marketing, design, innovation, and growth to reverse years of sluggish sales.
The Nike, Converse, and Jordan owner has divided its consumer, product, and brand leadership department into three distinct areas: consumer and sport; marketing; and product creation (inclusive of innovation and design).
As part of the restructure, Heidi O’Neill, Nike’s president of consumer, product, and brand, will leave the business after 26 years. She will continue as an advisor to recently appointed CEO Elliott Hill until September 2025.
An updated quartet of leaders will report directly to Hill, who returned to Nike in October 2024. Appointments include:
- Amy Montagne will take on the role of president. She will be responsible for “obsessing and serving consumers across all sports and driving future growth” for the Nike brand.
- Nicole Hubbard Graham, who was named chief marketing officer (CMO) in 2023, will add evp to her existing title. She will lead storytelling for the Nike, Jordan, and Converse brands.
- Phil McCartney, formerly vp, footwear, has been promoted to evp, chief innovation, design, and product officer responsible for the creation of “innovative and coveted products, season after season.” His remit will span Nike, Jordan, and Converse.
- Dr. Tom Clarke, a 45-year Nike veteran who was already a strategic advisor to Hill and a member of the senior leadership team, has assumed the new role of chief growth initiatives officer.
“I’m confident that with this new structure and leadership team in place we will be able to better line up and leverage all the advantages that make Nike great,” Hill said in a statement.
He added: “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.”
Nike’s ‘Win Now’ ethos
Hill’s new team will be charged with executing on Nike’s “Win Now” turnaround plan. Among other things, the strategy is focused on product innovation, returning Nike’s brand portfolio to relevance, doubling down on storytelling, cutting costs, and rebuilding the group’s retail relationships.
The business and its flagship brand have struggled with years of sluggish sales amid stiff competition from newer competitors such as On and Hoka, as well as declining sales in North America and China.
Since joining, Hill has been focused on rebuilding relationships with Nike’s wholesale partners, debuted a highly-lauded return to the Super Bowl with an ad squared towards women, and announced a buzzy partnership with Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand.
In March, the Portland, Ore.-based group’s overall quarterly revenue declined 9% year-over-year to $11.3 billion. Revenues for its namesake brand were down 9% at $10.9 billion. Converse’s revenue for the quarter slid 18% versus 2024.
The results marked Hill’s first full quarter in the top seat, and despite the disappointing financials, he reminded investors of his optimistic long-term outlook.
“The progress we made against the ‘Win Now’ strategic priorities we committed to 90 days ago reinforces my confidence that we are on the right path,” Hill said on Nike’s Q3 earnings call. “What’s encouraging is Nike made an impact this quarter leading with sport–through athlete storytelling, performance products, and big sports moments.”
Last week, Nike attracted criticism for using the phrase “Never again,” which is typically associated with Holocaust remembrance, in its London Marathon ads.
