// Nike to make job cuts after launching new Consumer Direct Acceleration (CDA) strategy
// The sportswear giant has made a number of promotions
Nike has announced job cuts and has made a number of changes in its leadership team in order to support its new Consumer Direct Acceleration (CDA) strategy.
The CDA, which was revealed last month, is a digital initiative to help support the sportswear giant’s direct-to-consumer retail business, designed “to create a more premium, consistent and seamless consumer experience across Nike’s owned and strategic partner ecosystem”.
Nike promoted vice president and general manager of global categories and womenswear Amy Montagne to the role of vice president and general manager of menswear.
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Whitney Malkiel, who has been with Nike for 17 years, has been promoted from vice president and general manager of golf and tennis to vice president and general manager of womenswear.
McCallester Dowers, who has been with the company for 24 years, will now serve as vice president and general manager of kidswear after most recently serving as vice president and general manager of Nike young athletes in North America.
All three executives will report to Michael Spillane, who will now serve as president of consumer creation.
“We are announcing changes today to transform Nike faster, accelerate against our biggest growth opportunities and extend our leadership position,” Nike chief executive and president John Donahoe said.
“Now is the right time to build on Nike’s strengths and elevate a group of experienced, talented leaders who can help drive the next phase of our growth.”
Moreover, Carl Grebert, who has been with the company for 23 years and most recently served as vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific and Latin America (APLA), will now serve as vice president and general manager of the EMEA region.
He will succeed Bert Hoyt, who will retire from Nike later this year.
Sarah Mensah will succeed Grebert after having most recently served as vice president of the Jordan brand, North America.
Ann Hebert and Angela Dong will remain the vice president and general manager, North America and Greater China geographies, respectively.
All geography leaders will report to the president of consumer and marketplace, Heidi O’Neill.
Craig A. Williams, president of Jordan Brand, and G. Scott Uzzell, president and chief executive of Converse Inc, also joined the company’s leadership team and will report to Donahoe.
Nike also said that “operational model changes” made to align with the CDA initiative “are expected to lead to a number of redundancies.
These latest announcements of cuts and a digital push come after Nike reported a $790 million (£637 million) quarterly net loss last month after its business took a major hit caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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