The beginning of a brand new yr all the time brings a brand new wave of high govt strikes, and a notable development is rising in 2021 on the hiring entrance.
In latest weeks, at the very least 4 vogue and footwear corporations, together with Crocs, Lululemon, Columbia and Everlane, have chosen present or former Nike executives to key positions.
Just a few years in the past, Crocs would by no means have been talked about in the identical sentence because the Swoosh. On Monday, the identical day Crocs appointed 16-year-old Nike veteran Emma Minto, as govt vp and common supervisor, the 2 manufacturers have been mentioned as direct rivals after Nike launched its adaptive hands-free shoe Nike. Go FlyEase.
“Anybody paying consideration is aware of that the Crocs model and enterprise have by no means been stronger, and there’s loads of room for continued development,” Minto mentioned in a press release upon his arrival on the clog maker, FN’s 2020 Model of the Yr. .
After leaving Nike final yr, Minto, who most lately was vp and common supervisor of Nike Ladies’s North America and former vp of worldwide retail operations for Nike Direct, will oversee all operations for Crocs’ Americas area.
Blanca González, a longtime Nike govt, is now Lululemon’s essential service provider. CREDIT: photograph by Allison Michael Orenste
Like Crocs, Lululemon goes flat out, and the health model competes immediately with Nike in a number of classes. Yesterday, Blanca González began working because the lead service provider for Lululemon, SVP, world merchandising after a 20-year profession at Nike. Lululemon is quickly constructing its govt workforce because it expands internationally and addresses new product classes, together with footwear. Final yr, he appointed one other Nike govt, Nikki Neuburger, as the corporate’s model director.
In one other massive transfer yesterday, Everlane named Sophie Bambuck, who was most lately vp of worldwide model advertising and marketing for Nike Sportswear, as its first chief advertising and marketing officer. The direct-to-consumer phenomenon, based in 2011, shortly constructed up a loyal fan base, due to its millennial and Gen Z-friendly technique of providing ethically produced important merchandise. However extra lately, the corporate bumped into tradition and transparency points, so Everlane will flip to Bambuck to assist refine messages at a vital time.
Whereas Nike has lengthy been identified for its advertising and marketing, operations, and merchandising experience, it now stands out for its digital and technological prowess as effectively. Final week, Columbia Sportswear Co. appointed Skip Potter, former Nike CTO, to imagine his newly created function as EVP, Director of Digital Info. Potter, who left Nike final yr, will take over from April 1.
